Guardian of My Heart
by XxDeafening.SilencexX
Summary: Gaara didn't want to fall in love. Neji was destined not to, so he took up a bank protecting other's hearts. Was there a chance for these two in this world filled with love potions and falsehoods? Was there such a thing as true love? NejiGaara, SasuNaru
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't ask.

Warning: Yaoi. Not too much besides that…well, I suppose fluff.

-----

_**Prologue**_

I can't quite put my finger on why I started the business in the first place, even now. Maybe it was to break away from my family, to show them that a branch member could be successful even without the family head's approval (Hiashi had wanted me to go into ANBU or some other distinguished thing). Maybe it was because I knew this business would be needed, that I would attain the lifestyle I wanted with this. Or maybe it was because the perfect opportunity had just come up at the right time. The building I had bought was in good condition, cheap, and occupied a pretty good location. I had thought that perhaps God was smiling down on me that particular day. Well, I hadn't questioned it.

And what _was_ my business, you ask? Well, it was part bank, part protection agency. Yes, I know that does not answer your burning question. You want to know what I was protecting, I am sure. Well…-trumpet fanfare- I was, and still am, in the business of guarding hearts.

Don't you dare laugh! Haven't you ever heard of the power of love? It produces changes and happiness, but it also has a darker side. The suicide rate in Konoha was the highest in the country before I set up my bank, mostly because of rejected lovers who simply give up living. And then there were the love potions that were sold on the black market. I thought that sort of thing was even worse than rape, because forcefully claiming someone's heart is worse than claiming their body, especially if the effect lasted a lifetime.

And so I set up my business of protecting hearts. While hearts are in my keeping, they are somewhat detached from their people, and so my clients are much less affected by them. In short, now their hearts don't rule their actions. Don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer in love, and within my contracts my clients always have the option of reclaiming their heart at any time. But if they don't, they always know that their hearts are safe and secure within the maze of vaults that make up my business.

_**End Prologue**_

-----

**Guardian of My Heart – Chapter 1**

Neji stared at the businessman before him, trying to grasp the fact that this was _Sabaku Gaara _sitting before him, looking perfectly awake despite the early hour (4 am! Seriously!). Even though Neji respected the businessman's need for privacy (stalker fangirls knew each and every appointment in the redhead's schedule probably, and there was need for drastic measures), setting up a meeting at 4 am was still taking its toll on the Hyuuga.

"What do you need, Sabaku-san?" Neji asked, stifling a small yawn.

The redhead's icy jade green eyes looked up with an expression of pure boredom, as he answered, "I would like to make use of your services, of course, and I will need the best protection you have." He looked around the office, and scanned the TV screens which showed all of what each and every security camera recorded at the moment. Most of these were focused on the numerous vaults, though there were also ones focused on the doors to the bank, and even one in the office itself. "Though I doubt the…quality of even your best." Neji bristled at the thinly veiled insult.

"Pardon me, Sabaku-san, but my bank is very thoroughly protected. These cameras do not represent all of what I do to insure the safety of what my clients trust to my keeping. You have my utmost word that your heart will be kept safe and secure if you trust it to my keeping."

The businessman's lips pursed, as if he was still disbelieving, but he only said, "That is what I will expect then, Hyuuga-san. Now, what do I need to sign? I would like to get this over with."

Neji breathed in deeply and prayed for patience. It was annoying that Sabaku Gaara could stir him up this much, that the redhead could seem so infinitely above him (which was ironic, since he was 2 inches taller than the redhead). "How long do you expect to need my services, Sabaku-san?"

"For the rest of my life. I do not wish to fall in love at all."

Neji took in a long breath. Well, this was against most of his morals. To hold a heart in safekeeping to ward off love potions and such was normal in this tumultuous world, but to not fall in love at all? Even when you were sure of your soulmate, even when they loved you back? Neji thought it was a sin to deny oneself this sort of happiness. But he really didn't have any choice, did he? Neji had to comply with his clients' requests. And besides, even Sabaku Gaara couldn't know the consequences of locking his heart up for all time. He would see the error of his decision when he met the right person, Neji was sure.

But as of right now, he had no reason at all to be prying in the businessman's affairs. So Neji took out a sheaf of papers from his desk drawer and a pen, and laid them down on the desk, pushing them towards the redhead. "You can read it if you choose to," Neji told him. "But the gist of it is that you will not sue and ruin me if someone steals your heart. Although you probably would not feel the need to, since I will most likely be in a vegetative state, if not dead, due to the torture the thieves would have put me through to gain access to the vaults."

"So the point of this contract is…?"

"The point is that my family will think that I've got my legalities covered, and I would have them think that. There are a few more points in there, but" And now Neji didn't bother to stifle his yawn, "I don't feel quite up to explaining them to you. It _is _4:28 am, after all, and I have been inhaling coffee into my system in order to pull an all-nighter for this meeting. Would you please sign the papers, Sabaku-san? On pages 4, 27, 39, and 62. And then we can go into the vaults."

Neji watched wordlessly as the redhead scrawled his somewhat messy but readable signature (full of sharp angles) onto the pages he had indicated, and then stood up, expecting the other to follow. They trooped out of Neji's personal office and into the dark hallway beyond, with Neji flicking on the lights as he passed. It was just a courtesy to Sabaku, since he himself had no trouble with seeing in the dark. It all had to do with the Hyuuga family's amazing/freaky eyes (depended on who you were asking), and their ability to see even people's hearts. Neji supposed it was yet another reason he had started this business, being able to look at the dying and depressed hearts in the people around him.

He passed through several metal gates, all heavily guarded with cameras, passwords, eye-sensors, and fingerprint detectors, along with other security equipment. This security was very expensive, of course, but Neji could spare the money.

They finally got to the vaults a few minutes later, and Neji smiled upon seeing so many healthy hearts. This part of the building had no need for illumination, because all of his charges gave out a glow of their own, which filtered out through their…well, Neji supposed cages was the word for it. The only things separating each heart from another were a few metal bars, but Neji didn't need anything else, because hearts don't mingle. They're just _there_.

The brunette walked down an aisle, making a beeline for a special heart that was in his care. There were some that used his bank as a sanctuary, storing their hearts after they had been broken, and Neji took it upon himself to shield and help them along in their recovery, new client be damned. And besides, Sabaku couldn't have known the trauma of heartbreak already, could he? As he stopped in front of a cage emitting a particularly weak glow, he activated his Byakugan and snuck a quick peek at the redhead before turning to the heart in front of him.

Well, it seemed the cold businessman's heart _had_ suffered some wear and tear, and quite recently. And his heart was…well, for the lack of a better term, _wild_. Just like…

"-Naruto."

"Hmm?" Neji replied absently, having only heard the last word. "What was that, Sabaku-san?"

The Hyuuga repressed a smirk at the annoyed glare the redhead sent him; obviously, the guy was used to everyone hanging on to his each and every word. But Neji still wasn't paying that much attention to him, or at least not openly, though his ears were focused, because he was curious about how this person knew Uzumaki Naruto of all people. His eyes, however, were focused on the heart before him as he slowly opened the cage and reached in, carefully petting it in an attempt to soothe.

"I _said_, Hyuuga-san, that Uchiha Sasuke would like to thank you for introducing him to Naruto."

"Oh really?" Neji said that out loud, before whispering soft nothings to the poor broken heart in his hands.

"Yes really. And he would like to tell you to reserve a time for him next week, because he would like to, what was the phrase he used? Ah, yes. He would like to tie the knot. What does that mean exactly?" Neji smiled, if Sasuke didn't want his messenger to know that he was getting married (that was why he had used the slang, right?), then Neji wouldn't tell.

"It's a ritual-like thing, takes a long time and is somewhat tedious." He knew it was terribly vague, but hoped the redhead wouldn't ask any more. Neji didn't really like to lie, though he did occasionally, when it was called for. Thankfully, Sabaku didn't press. In fact, he went off on a totally unexpected tangent.

"Oh. So…uh, you were the one that introduced Sasuke to Naruto?" Neji frowned as he heard the pause; what was that about? Sabaku Gaara was not known for any sort of weakness.

"Yes."

"…Ok." Suddenly the redhead's voice was a lot closer, and Neji turned around reflexively, to see that Sabaku was peering over his shoulder. "What _is_ that?"

Neji glared as he felt the heart tremble. "_That_ is a broken heart, Sabaku-san, and I'd thank you to step back because you're scaring her." He resumed his tender ministrations, coaxing a soft purr-like sound from his throat as he tried to piece the broken heart back together.

"Her?" The redhead asked, not backing off a bit and the bite coming back into his voice again.

"Yes, her." Neji was annoyed with the businessman and he didn't try to hide it. "Every heart has a name, and their gender is the same as their person's. Now, will you do as I say, Sabaku-san? The faster I give this little one my attention, the faster we can conclude your business."

With a scowl, the redhead moved back a few steps and Neji turned his full attention to the heart in his hands, crooning a soft melody. The heart pulsed weakly, but its glow was slightly stronger. Neji sighed – he would have to be content with just that for now. He laid it gently back into its cage and closed the door, walking away with another sigh. He deactivated his Byakugan, and, if someone had looked closely, they would've seen sadness cloud his usually clear eyes. Neji didn't like to see pain.

But he walked steadily down several aisles until he reached empty cages, not showing his sadness, and opened the door of one before turning to the redhead following him.

"Didn't I tell you I wanted the best?" the businessman asked, a frown marring his features. Neji wondered if he ever smiled, and guessed the answer was no.

"This is the best." the Hyuuga replied. "If you're mixed in with all the others, nobody looking for your heart specifically would know where it was. Also, if you haven't noticed already, there are no labels of any kind to differentiate anybody's heart from anybody else's. Only I can do that, and, of course, the person the heart belongs to."

"You've memorized the identities of thousands of hearts?"

Neji frowned a little at the evident skepticism. "Yes, Sabaku-san, I have. Now, may we get on with this so I can perhaps squeeze in an hour of sleep before waking up for work again?"

"Fine." The businessman crossed his arms in front of his chest and started tapping his foot. Neji frowned further. Oh, so now _he_ was the one that was impatient? "What do I need to do?"

Here, Neji paused and wondered how he could explain his predicament to his newest client. The reason he had been up all night was that he had been trying to fix the contraption used for teasing hearts out of their person's bodies (with the person's consent, of course. Neji had made sure it wouldn't be used to force the heart out of someone) and, of course, failing. The Hyuuga may have had the gift of Byakugan, but good eyes weren't everything. He knew he should've asked Shikamaru to fix it yesterday, but then again, that particular lazy genius would've just put it off until today and that wouldn't have solved any of Neji's problems.

"Ahh, well, I don't usually ask clients to do this, but I need you to willingly hand over your heart."

The Sabaku's expression warped into a mix of surprise, confusion, and…was that revulsion? Neji refused to admit to himself that his pride was even the slightest bit damaged (but what was so bad about himself?). Well, ok, so he wasn't at his best right now (at _5 am _in the damn morning!) and his attire, along with his hair, just had to have been a little messed up, but it couldn't have been _that _bad, could it?

The redhead's question brought Neji back down to Earth.

"Why?"

Oh dear, here came the explanation.

"Well, the way I usually do this with clients has been unfortunately cut off because of an unexpected malfunction in my machinery which I've been trying to sort out for the past few hours, and so…we'll just have to try this. It should work - actually, I know for a fact that it does, it's just…" Neji motioned with his hands, trying to get his point across, and was relieved when the redhead completed his sentence for him.

"It's just that I have to _willingly give my heart to you?_"

Neji nodded a bit sheepishly. "Unfortunately, yes. Of course, Sabaku-san, you could always just come back this afternoon and I'd have this whole thing straightened out by then." The Hyuuga awaited hopefully for his answer.

"No. I refuse to take anymore time out of my schedule for this…nuisance. Let's get this over with. What, _exactly_, do I have to do?"

Neji was ready to hit him right then and there, but repressed the urge. It would _not_ be good for his business if he punched his newest and richest client, he repeated over and over in his mind. After a few seconds, he was back in control.

"You have to visualize putting your heart in my hands, and it'll appear, but only if you do it with conviction. Meaning, you have to trust me, and I suppose if you close your eyes and imagine your love it'll be much easier."

There was a moment of silence, before the businessman asked, "How do you know I have someone I love and trust?"

"Because I took a peek at your heart a while ago with my Byakugan, and from what I can see, you just got rejected by somebody, and I'm guessing that she was your first love."

"You looked at my heart without letting me know?"

Neji raised an eyebrow at the defensive tone. "If you're going to buying my services, I'm going to be seeing your heart out in the open now. It did no harm to see what I was going to be working with – after all, if it had turned out to be broken like the other little one you saw, I would've needed to start extensive therapy, just like I do with all broken hearts. And I like to know that sort of thing beforehand."

There was no answer, so Neji said briskly, "Now, should we start this? I'm going to hold my hands out like this-" Neji demonstrated, his hands forming a small cup in front of him, "-and if we do this right your heart should appear in them."

With still no reply, the redhead closed his eyes and took a deep breath, apparently taking Neji's advice and imagining his love in Neji's place. After a few moments, a furrow of worry appeared between his eyebrows and he opened his eyes, glaring at Neji as if it was all his fault. "This isn't working."

Neji sighed, thinking that there was no point in pointing out the obvious. "I see that. What can I do to make it better?"

"Get. Your. Machine. Fixed. _Now._"

"So demanding, aren't you? Well, I can't do that, so you'll just have to come back in the afternoon again, especially if you don't try to cooperate with me. Now, let me ask again, what can I do? Actually, just tell me her name. I should be able to figure something out using that."

"Her name?" The Sabaku actually sounded confused.

"Your love's." Neji clarified.

"Oh." There was a slight pause, and Neji could see Gaara's indecision.

"If you don't want to tell me, fine, but we _are_ trying this over."

Another pause. Neji shifted on his feet, his hand brushing his hair back as he fought his sleepiness. The silence was getting to him, that was evident.

"His name was…" Well, it seemed the cold businessman was going to answer. Wait…_his_ name?!? "Naruto."

Neji's mouth formed a small o of realization, and another second later his somewhat fuzzy brain grasped that he had indirectly caused Sabaku Gaara pain, by introducing Naruto to Uchiha Sasuke. The two of them were madly in love, and Neji had counted on it (after all, their hearts matched so well!), but still, causing another person unhappiness and rejection, and on his _first_ love. Neji resolved to spend some time with the redhead's heart later, to see if he needed any help getting over the blonde. Even if the businessman himself was a prick, his heart couldn't be that bad. But as of right now, what could he say?

"Oh."

"Hmph. Let's just get this over with. Does his name help you?"

"I…I guess." Neji pondered a bit, before stretching out his hands once again. "I'll use my information at the last resort. As of right now, let's just try again."

After a half hour of failed attempts, the Sabaku was fluently cursing (very quietly, but Neji heard it) and Neji himself was frustrated and feeling stupid at holding his hands out all the time.

"Fine." He said, suddenly making a decision. And before the Sabaku could react, Neji had stridden forward, encasing the smaller man in a hug.

After a moment of confused sputtering on the Sabaku's part, he pushed Neji away forcefully and demanded, "W-What was _that_ for!?!"

Neji rolled his eyes, only a few inches away from the redhead and his arms still loosely entwined around the businessman's waist. "How long have you known Naruto?"

"…Ten years."

"Ah. Then you _should_ know that he hugs _everyone_. Even me." Neji smiled at the memory. "And he doesn't stop even when you push him away and glare and threaten him with imminent death. It's quite childish actually, but nobody minds."

Neji looked down at the flushed face below him. "You remember it too, right?"

The Sabaku looked away and nodded.

"Then this should be easier. The skin-to-skin contact helps tremendously, I think, and if you just close your eyes…" the redhead did so. "And imagine that I'm Naruto…" Neji pulled the redhead close again, whispering against his pale neck. "And that I just told you that…" He took a small breath, summoning up the softest and most loving voice he could muster (meaning, the one he reserved usually for extremely broken hearts). "I…love…you."

The redhead in his arms relaxed bit by bit and rested his head on Neji's shoulder, his eyes still closed as he breathed out the words, "I love you too…"

Neji reacted quickly to the nudging in front of his ribs. He broke their embrace and cupped the heart in his hands. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. The moment the redhead opened his eyes and realized the true situation, his heart flared out and thrashed in Neji's hands, trying to escape them as Neji hung on as best as he could without hurting it. He made a note of how defensive it was, and saw that this particular heart was shaped like…a raccoon.

That was new. Usually hearts were spherical, or, well, heart-shaped, and the only other heart he had ever known to be an animal was Naruto's. And his had been a mischievous (or devilish) fox named Kyuubi, with three tails (he had told Neji that as Naruto matured he would grow more, until he reached his limit of nine). This was interesting.

But Neji cut off his thoughts as the raccoon _bit_ him. And it _hurt_. _And it drew blood._ Well, this was even more original. The Hyuuga bent over the heart, whispering, "What's your name?" as he tried to subdue the defensive animal.

It froze, probably from hearing Neji's voice in his mind. And then, it said quietly, _Shukaku_.

"Nice to meet you, Shukaku. I'm Neji, and I'm going to be taking care of you for a while."

Shukaku turned around, puzzled, and stared at the redhead who he had inhabited for so long. _What about him?_

Neji smiled and started petting the small raccoon, his fingers trailing through the alternating sand-colored and black fur. "He's leaving you in my care so you won't get hurt."

The vehement reply came a moment later, _I don't need protecting!_

Neji laughed a little, thoroughly enchanted by this little one. "Of course you don't, with all of the defenses you set up around yourself, I wonder how anyone could get through all of them."

_Only one._ Shukaku assured him. _But Kyuubi is taken…_

Neji heard the wistfulness in Shukaku's voice and sighed, giving the little raccoon a small kiss in between his ears. "I'm sorry."

_No, it's not your fault, and I'm sure I'll recover soon enough. _Shukaku tried for a smile, but couldn't seem to pull it off completely. His tail lashed against Neji's fingers and the raccoon paced uncomfortably.

Neji wondered how to comfort both Shukaku and the Sabaku (though mostly Shukaku), but knew he would probably fail, since he had never experienced love before. Still, he could try.

Neji looked into the Sabaku's green eyes and, while still petting Shukaku, asked softly, "What would you say if I told you that you and Naruto would never have been happy together?"

The redhead's eyes widened as he digested what Neji had said, and as Neji felt Shukaku's teeth sink into his hand again, he knew that he had said the wrong thing. Definitely the wrong thing. But maybe lashing out would be good for the usually bland redhead.

"You don't know that."

"I do. Your hearts would have clashed the moment you two got together – Sasuke is much better for the blonde." Neji winced a bit as Shukaku's (really sharp) canines sunk in a little more, but besides that kept up an emotionless expression.

"You can't predict the future." The soft hiss was even more intimidating than a shout would've been, especially coupled with the level glare. "Even if we would've clashed, our love would've held us together. I know that, because I _loved _him, even though he had just about no money and no friends in the world." Emotion was seeping into that voice, desperation and rejection and something else Neji did not care to identify.

"I stayed with him, because each of his smiles made me so happy I thought my heart would burst. You know who I am. I'm Sabaku Gaara, 25 years old and rich as heck, but I clung on to the hope that Naruto, oblivious blonde and resolutely happy Naruto, would someday return my feelings. I waited for almost ten years for that to happen, but then _Uchiha Sasuke_ just had to waltz into his life and do what I had wanted to do so _effortlessly_. Yes, Naruto is happy now. I can see that. But Hyuuga-san, don't you dare tell me that I could not have been happy with Naruto, or that he would not have been happy with me. Do not judge me. And do not make me think that I've wasted the last 10 years of my love life, because I have not. I've known love, even if I've been rejected. I've been happy."

The redhead paused, seeming to realize all he had just confessed, and Neji took the opportunity to smile and say, "That was good for you, to talk that all out. You've just been keeping that all in, haven't you? That's bad for your heart."

He watched as the businessman in front of him put on his stoic mask again, and sighed. Neji knew he was just going to keep on bottling his feelings again, and one day he'd just lash out at everything and everyone. The Hyuuga hoped that maybe he could help, if he worked with Shukaku.

"I believe we've concluded our business." The Sabaku said stiffly. "I shall take my leave now." Yeah, Neji had been right. He stared at the redhead as he showed himself out, before turning to leave Shukaku in a cage. He needed to take a shower, change his clothes, and ingest more caffeine.

But as he got closer, the raccoon started squirming and struggling and protesting. _No cages!!_

Neji stopped, thought, and sighed. He should've seen this coming. When Naruto had come to him and they had released Kyuubi (by the means of that DRATTED BROKEN MACHINE), Kyuubi had also struggled against the cages, to the extent that after an hour both Neji and Naruto had given up, and Kyuubi had returned back to Naruto. That had been, using Shikamaru's words, very _very_ troublesome.

And now he had the same trouble with Shukaku, and the Sabaku was already gone! Now what could he do?

"Fine, fine." Neji stopped moving and just cradled the small raccoon in his hands. "But now what should I do with you? I still need to protect you, and the only other option I see is to keep you with me at all times, but I'm sure you'd find that boring."

Shukaku shook his head, looking positively adorable since with all his squirming he had turned onto his back, with his small paws flailing in the air. _No, I'd like that very much. Anything without cages._

"Hmm…" Neji stroked the raccoon's tummy contentedly, walking out of his vaults just to walk back in with a paper towel a second later. He needed to mop up that drop of blood on the floor…

After satisfying his neat-freak nature, Neji went back to his office (still with ((a very ticklish)) Shukaku in his hand) and poured himself a much-needed cup of coffee, which he finished in three gulps, the hot drink scalding his throat and dashing away sleep. Next, he turned to his injured hand. Shukaku evidently could not feel the blood still dripping out of the two wounds, since he was lying on that hand without a care in the world. And when he jumped onto Neji's desk, no blood had stained his fur. Neji was glad. At least he didn't have to wash Shukaku.

With the precision of a world-class heart surgeon (which Neji was not, although he had studied some medicine earlier in life), he cleaned his wounds and bandaged them, Shukaku watching the whole time with a curious stare, his tale waving. "Are you going to grow any more tails?" Neji asked once he was done bandaging.

_Grow more? I don't think so…though I'm not sure. Maybe if Gaara matures a little more. Losing Kyuubi…or really, Naruto, hit him hard. He hasn't grown used to rejection._

Neji's brow furrowed, and he asked, "So that means that _you_ aren't ok? Since you're a part of him."

Shukaku grimaced. _How observant you are. I just want Gaara to get over Naruto already, since it's obvious that he's happy with the Uchiha and that isn't going to change, but he's still hung up about him! Sure, it's his first love, but it isn't going to be his last, dammit! _Shukaku settled down on Neji's desk and fumed, as Neji thought about just how outspoken this little one was.

"Do you have any criteria for Sabaku-san's second love to fulfill?"

_One, stop calling him Sabaku-san and start calling him Gaara. You're talking to _me_ remember, probably the most personal and protected thing he has, so in effect, you shall get to know him very well. As for criteria, I don't really have any, except that he or she has to make Gaara happy._

"Oh, ok." Neji wondered if all hearts thought like this and were this independent from their persons, but he doubted it. Shukaku was probably just a special case. But still, he could work with this. "So you wouldn't mind if I set him up with some people?"

_Like you did with the Uchiha and Naruto? _came the dry answer.

Neji flinched at the reminder. "Well, yes. But you have to admit, that was a terrific match! And I knew it, because their hearts were so complementary, you know? So I could do the same thing with Gaara, and help him too."

_Or better yet, you could set _yourself_ up with Gaara. _

"M-Me?" Neji asked disbelievingly. "No no no, I'm not a good match at all for him."

_What do you mean? You're handsome, intelligent, and could most likely make him happy. And besides, you already have his heart!_

Neji chuckled nervously. "You don't know _my_ heart, Shukaku. It's just…it'd be impossible for Gaara to fall in love with me. Even if you pushed, with all your influence. Just impossible."

_Well then, let your heart out and I'll judge for myself._ Shukaku sat up expectantly, looking up at Neji with wide green puppy-dog eyes.

Neji let out a sigh and acquiesced. He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and when he opened his pearly orbs again, a small ball of light, pulsing a pale golden color, was sitting on the desk in front of him. He nudged it softly towards Shukaku and smiled sadly.

Shukaku took the initiative then, striding forward and studying the ball of light, which trembled slightly under his gaze. _So timid, aren't you? What's your name? _

Neji's heart just squeaked softly and ran back to the brunette, melting into his chest again. Neji sighed and answered Shukaku's question himself, with not a little trace of despair. "His name…is Loveless."

Shukaku's eyes widened. _Oh. OH. _

Neji stared down at his fingers, wondering why he had just confessed that. Maybe it was because Shukaku was a heart, and would know better than a human what implications _Loveless_ held. The name of someone's heart was important, because it linked to that person's personality and future and, in Neji's case, his love life.

When his family had discerned his heartname at the tender age of 5 (all Hyuuga children learned their heartname at this age), they had been horrified, more so than worried, because they had thought that his heartname reflected his personality. They had believed that he would grow up mean-spirited, with no love for others. But he had proven them wrong time and time again – he was just a normal little boy, or as normal as he could be as an orphan with Hyuuga eyes and a body that looked decidedly feminine (it was most likely the hair but Neji was not cutting it off), causing bullies to come out of nowhere.

And his heartname had turned out to be true. Nobody really loved him, not his family, not even his few friends (not the kind of love he wanted the most, anyways) and he supposed nobody would.

It was just his fate. Nothing that he could change.

-----

A/N: Kuu, another chaptered fic…but I do like this idea. Let's see if I can run with it.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Neither Neji, nor Gaara, nor chibi-Shukaku belongs to me.

A/N: Yes, it has been more than a month. I'm sorry, but my procrastinating nature coupled with loads of hw means not a lot of updates. Please bear with me, ne?

Warning: Uh…angst, I think. And fluff.

**Last chapter:** Sabaku Gaara entrusts Shukaku to Neji, and Shukaku learns that Neji's heartname is Loveless. It is now morning.

-----

**Guardian of My Heart – Chapter 2**

Neji sighed, knowing that now, when it was nearing 5:30, that he wouldn't be able to catch any sleep before work started. He slumped down on his office desk, before straightening and standing up, scooping Shukaku into his fingers as he walked out of the room, flicking the lights off.

As he strode purposefully down a hallway towards an elevator that led to the second floor of his business, Shukaku questioned, _Where are we going now?_

"Home." Neji answered. "My apartment's situated above my business, but only a few other people beside me have the key to make the elevator move. It's very comfortable when I have people over for business dinners, and it sure beats driving to work."

_Oh. You're REALLY devoted to your work, aren't you?_

Neji stepped in the elevator and put in his key, the door closing and the elevator rising as he turned in. Shukaku looked around suspiciously and shuddered, his fur standing on end. _Too much like a cage._ he pronounced wisely.

"You're claustrophobic, aren't you?"

Shukaku glared and growled softly (but didn't deny it) as Neji stepped off the elevator and into a spacious living room highlighted with subdued colors, such as soft peach and pale yellow. The only thing that stuck out was a garishly orange picture frame, containing a picture of Naruto and Neji together, perhaps as young as 14 or 15 and standing before a background of some trees and a blue cloudless sky. They were both smiling, though Naruto was sporting his classic foxy grin and Neji was only letting the edges of his mouth tilt up a little. It was a smile nevertheless, and this memory was a fondly cherished one. The camera had been held by Hinata that day.

Oh, that reminded him. Today was the day he had to report in to Hiashi-sama…oh god, how could the timing be as bad as this? Just had to be _this day _out of every other day in the month! Seeing as that was a rhetorical question, Neji didn't try to answer it, just focused on how to schedule the rest of his morning before going to the Hyuuga main house. He needed a shower, a breakfast, to open up the business and then to complete his daily rounds around the vaults before he could go, but he should be done by 8 o'clock at the latest. And he needed to be at the main house by seven-thirty. Damn. Why did Hiashi-sama have to insist on having breakfast together as a family? Wasn't lunch and dinner enough?

Neji grabbed a towel and a change of clothes rapidly before making a beeline for the bathroom, setting down Shukaku right outside the door.

_What are you doing?_ The small raccoon asked inquisitively, trying to poke his head in through the bathroom door.

"I'm going to take a shower; that should take about a half hour and you can wander around my apartment if you wish."

_Why can't I take a shower with you?_

"Uh…well…" Neji didn't know how to explain this. There was a popular theory among the Hyuuga family, who knew hearts better than any other clan except for the Uchihas (only two left now, Sasuke and Itachi, and they didn't want to make any more) and their Sharingan, that when hearts were separated from their persons like Shukaku was from Gaara, their person could sometimes see with their heart's eyes, especially if they were sleeping. Neji didn't know for sure, but he was somewhat confident that the redhead would be taking a nap right now, and catching up on the hour or more of sleep he had missed with their meeting this morning. And he had no wish to test that (still unconfirmed) theory, especially when there was the chance of Sabaku Gaara seeing him naked. Shukaku he didn't really mind so much, since he was a heart.

"I can't really explain, but there's just a really good reason. Seriously. And here's a chance for you to roam throughout my apartment and get adjusted, because if I'm not downstairs with my business I'm usually up here."

_Fine then. I can prowl through any room I want?_

"Yeah. I won't mind, just stay out of this bathroom, ok?" Neji pointed at the one he was going into.

_I will._ And with that Shukaku loped off down the hallway, and Neji closed the bathroom door, turning on the water a second later. He needed a nice and hot shower right now, to relieve all the stress that had been building up. His doctor, Tsunade, had told him it was bad for both his body and his heart.

-----

Neji was having a bad day. After his shower, he had searched and searched throughout his bathroom but hadn't been able to find his hair dryer. This was a bad thing. But Neji just sighed and wrapped his hair up in a towel and hoped that it would dry in time. And then, while walking into his kitchen, he had been out of it and tripped over Shukaku, who had been curled up on the floor before him. With a lack of grace that was unbefitting of a Hyuuga, he had toppled onto his kitchen's hard linoleum floor (but thankfully Shukaku had gotten out of the way).

Neji just laid on his side on the cold floor, his wet hair settling around him, since it had fallen out of the towel. He was tired. He was grumpy. He just wanted to lay here and sleep. Which sounded pretty good right about now, but then he felt something rough and warm licking his nose. Neji opened his eyes in surprise, to find Shukaku in front of his face and looking worried.

_Are you hurt, Neji?_

"No, I'm not hurt, Shukaku. Just tired." Neji sat up, his yukata bunching about his legs. "You don't have to worry about me."

Shukaku jumped onto Neji's lap, looking up at him with clear green eyes, just like Gaara's. _But I do worry. And I think there's going to be a nasty bruise on your cheek…_

Neji winced. "Just great. I better get some ice…" Shukaku jumped onto Neji's hand when he beckoned, and Neji stood up, letting Shukaku land on the island in the middle of the kitchen. He then got some ice for his cheek, wrapping it up in a towel and holding it against his cheek, numbing the pain. He then opened the refrigerator and got out a bottle of something, before getting a cup and a dish and putting all three on the kitchen island. He poured the liquid in the bottle into the cup and dish, and pushed the dish towards Shukaku. Yes, he had done all this with only one hand. His grace (and good karma) had returned, it seemed.

_What's this?_ Shukaku asked, sniffing the dish just to sneeze with a small 'achoo!'. _It smells strange. _

Neji took a sip from his own cup and returned the bottle back to the refrigerator before he answered. "It's made from a recipe unique to the Hyuuga family, with extracts of orange, ground up rose thorns, and powdered chamomile leaves mixed up with sugar water and some other little ingredients. It's the core of my protection business, really. The extracts of orange keeps a heart healthy and pure, the rose thorns ward against love potions, and the chamomile helps a heart heal from adversity. I drink a cup of it everyday for breakfast myself, and all my hearts get a version of it everyday, though the mixture varies sometimes from heart to heart. And it tastes good too, to me at least. How 'bout you?"

_Really tasty! _Shukaku was now happily lapping from the dish, his pink tongue popping out every few seconds. Neji smiled. So cute. _I never knew hearts could actually eat!_

"Well, I didn't either until now, since hearts don't usually have mouths. But you're an exception, I suppose. Are you still hungry?"

Shukaku shook his head, having polished off the dish in 10 seconds flat. _I haven't really felt **full** in my life, Neji, but I don't think I need anymore nourishment now. _

"Ok. I count that as being full. Now, want to go with me through my rounds?" Neji held out a hand, and Shukaku jumped onto it readily.

_Sure. But maybe I should ride on your shoulder so you have a hand free to catch yourself when you fall again. _There was a wickedly mischievous sparkle in Shukaku's eye.

Neji scoffed at the statement, but let Shukaku ride on his shoulder. Who knows, maybe his grace and good karma could disappear again, and he didn't want a matching bruise on the other cheek.

He went downstairs again, grabbed a misting spray bottle filled with the same liquid he had just drank, and trotted back into the vaults, marveling at Shukaku's marvelous sense of balance. Anybody else would have surely fallen off by now.

Neji undid the security on the vaults and strode in, sighing in content. The aisles were 6 feet high and 20 feet in length, so Neji didn't have to reach too high to spray the mixture onto each and every heart on his daily rounds. This was what he did in the mornings, and in the evenings, right before he went to bed, Neji would work with individual hearts, though he hadn't the night before. He hadn't had enough time.

He quickly finished his rounds, dropped off the misting bottle, tried to tame his wet hair again, and got downstairs right when Shikamaru unlocked and opened the door. Neji's bank was a small business really, with only Nara Shikamaru as a technician (he liked the fact that he usually didn't have a lot of work to do, because then he could sleep) and Momochi Zabuza as a security guard/doorman. Neji couldn't stare at the security cameras all the time, since he also had to greet clients, so Zabuza was necessary. And the last person to complete Neji's employees was Shiro Haku, a secretary/receptionist. He, like Neji, was often mistaken for being a girl, since he was prettier than any male had a right to be (in the words of Uzumaki Naruto. Seriously).

"Hey Shikamaru." Neji called, coming to the main door with Shukaku still perched on his shoulder. "Will you _please_ get off your lazy ass and fix the machine now? I need to go pay respects to my dear family."

Shikamaru took one look at Neji's mussed hair and bruised cheek and drawled, "Bad night?"

Neji glared while putting on his sandals carefully and simultaneously tying his hair back in his usual low ponytail. "Your fault, Shikamaru. See if I don't cut your paycheck for that. I lost a whole night of sleep over it!" Of course Neji was just teasing.

And of course Shikamaru knew. "Yeah, yeah." He waved back to Neji as he walked into the vaults. He was the only person besides Neji to have the authority to, and Neji trusted him. "G'luck on your family!" he called back as Neji went out the door.

"Hmph." Neji locked the door, turned, and started walking, right past a car that was parked right in front of his bank. Shukaku stared at it while he was walking away and asked, _Isn't that your car, Neji?_

"No. My clan has forbidden me to own a car," he explained to Shukaku. "I believe it's a way for the family to insure that I don't get too far away, so that they can keep track of me. When I need faster transportation than walking and the public bus routes, I can always get someone to drive me. But the Hyuuga compound isn't very far, so I always walk during these days. The car parked there is actually Shikamaru's. I let him have the spot because if he had to walk any farther he'd collapse out of laziness before he reached the door."

Neji continued walking, satisfied that since it was only 7:10 that he wouldn't have to run to the compound, and enjoyed the refreshing summer air. It was June 23, and summer vacation had started a week or so earlier, creating an influx of teenagers running to the pools and beaches. This year, summer was a magnificent thing. Clear, sunny, and highs in the lower 90s (Farenheight) almost everyday, the mornings, with temperatures in the lower 70s and a small breeze, were absolutely perfect.

Neji walked along the sidewalk, pointing out to Shukaku the businesses beside his. Among them was an animal hospital run by Neji's friend Inuzuka Kiba and his family, a restaurant run by his friend Akimichi Chouji's family, and a preschool run by some of Neji's former clients now friends, Umino Iruka and Hatake Kakashi (Kakashi only did the administrative stuff, however. Iruka didn't trust him with small kids). Beyond those businesses, as Neji turned the corner, was a nice little neighborhood that bordered the Hyuuga compound. As Neji walked down the road the houses grew progressively larger in size, showing as well how the wealth of the owners grew as well. And within a few minutes, Neji was surrounded by his clan's houses.

Shukaku's eyes widened as he was surrounded by Hyuugas, mostly small children, all with opaque white eyes and black hair. Their parents stayed back, smiling as they saw their children crowd around Neji, who was greeting them by name and smiling happily. He loved the little Hyuugas, even more so when faced with the fact that he probably wouldn't be having children of his own. He believed that children needed mothers while growing up, and he wouldn't even_ think_ of forcing someone to bear his children when they would both be miserable. It just wouldn't be fair. And so he treasured all children, and seemed to have a way with even the brattiest ones.

With the crowd of little Hyuugas trailing him, Neji moved through the compound slowly, getting to Hiashi-sama's door right on time. He gently shooed the children back to their families, and bowed low (Shukaku scrambled for purchase, trying to hang on) as Hiashi-sama came out to greet him.

"Good morning, Neji."

"Good morning, Hiashi-sama. I trust everything is well?" Neji saw Shukaku's predicament and scooped him into his hands, still in his bow.

"Yes, Neji, now come in. Breakfast is ready." Neji straightened and stepped into the house, sliding the door closed after himself and kneeling by the breakfast table across from Hinata. On his left was Hiashi-sama, and on his right was Hanabi. "Good morning Hinata-chan, Hanabi-chan."

"Good morning Neji," they chorused, and Hinata added on, "What happened to your cheek? Is it ok?"

Neji smiled at her worry and answered, "I suffered a brief bout of clumsiness this morning and fell, Hinata-chan. Nothing for you to worry about. And now I have someone to introduce to you all." Neji placed a squirming Shukaku on the breakfast table, smiling as his two cousins squealed over the small raccoon. "This is Shukaku. He's a heart that I'm currently taking care of, one that doesn't like cages very much, so I am planning on keeping him with me all the time."

Neji laughed as he watched Hanabi cuddle the small raccoon, amused by how carefree his nineteen year-old cousin always was, even in the face of Hiashi-sama. It was refreshing somehow, though Neji also admired Hinata's calm and reserved nature, formerly shy, but she had matured since childhood. In fact, many things had changed about Hinata, Neji observed. She had gotten over her childish stutter right around the time she had gotten over Naruto a few years ago, with Neji's praises on both of the accomplishments. Her eyes shone with a determination to be a stronger person, to live up to her father's expectations, and Neji felt she was doing that wonderfully. She had grown taller, and now her blue-black hair grew down to her upper back, though she had kept her bangs the same length. Hinata looked up now, and smiled at Neji's scrutiny. He smiled back, and wondered briefly on Hinata's forgiving nature.

They hadn't always been this close. A few bad memories during elementary and the start of middle school for the both of them was during the time Neji had bullied Hinata horribly, though only in private and between the two of them. Nobody else had known about it until Naruto had found out, and made Neji stop, demanding a reason for the harsh things he had said and done to Hinata. Nobody had expected the breakdown he had had that day or the confession he had blurted out between fits of sobbing; he had bullied Hinata because he was jealous, jealous of how Hiashi-sama paid more attention to her (_loved her more_), of how she would become the head of the Hyuuga family, and no matter what Neji did he couldn't do anything about either of them.

Hinata had been the first to forgive him, and after that incident they had talked, privately, just the two of them, and he had learned many things. He had learned she was afraid of becoming family head someday, afraid of failure and other people's criticism. She had confided in him that she had thought that Hiashi-sama loved him more, because he was the only thing left to remind him of his twin brother and because he was the genius among the Hyuuga clan. Of course, they hadn't talked about serious topics all the time – he had also learned that her favorite color was light green, her favorite flavor of ice cream Mint, her favorite snack food sunflower seeds. Just trivial little facts that made it a nice little bonding experience for the two of them.

Now Neji was Hinata's greatest supporter, though nothing would get him to say that out loud.

Breakfast passed uneventfully, and afterwards Neji went around the Hyuuga neighborhood, letting the little Hyuugas squeal over Shukaku as he talked to their parents, checking up on his cousins, uncles, great-aunts and all of his other relatives. He congratulated the newly engaged or married, gave his blessings to the families that had received the gift of an infant or two, and took a moment to grieve with the people whose close family members had passed away, sharing with them his own memories of that particular person. This was how Neji repaid the family who had brought him up, caring for him even though he was an orphan. This was how he showed he cared.

He returned to the main house for lunch, and afterwards stayed behind when Hinata and Hanabi left, expecting what was going to come next. In the afternoons, Hiashi-sama asked him about his business and how he was doing, and sometimes consulted him on family matters. Neji knew even though Hiashi-sama didn't approve of Neji's choice of profession (and the questions about that were somewhat like interrogations), he knew Neji was smart and wouldn't try to make him become ANBU as long as Neji's business was succeeding. Of course, Hiashi-sama's definition of success was very high, and Neji strived to live up to his expectations.

When they finished their discussions, they spent the rest of the afternoon sparring. Neji enjoyed going against a partner who could still beat him half of the time.

Neji and his uncle regarded each other over the table for a moment they started talking. Neji took in his uncle's loose scattering of white hairs, their number growing steadily as the months went by (Hiashi-sama would never deign to dye his hair). The Hyuuga family's illustrious head, at age 53, was growing old, and would most likely retire in a few years. But that was still down the road, and Neji knew his uncle was still going strong.

"Do you trust our little guest's container, Neji? You know that theory, that the bond between heart and body can transfer images from the heart's eyes to the container's. Do you trust him enough?"

Neji nodded. "It is not really a matter of trust, Hiashi-sama. This particular client will most likely have nothing to do with me in the future; he can do no harm with any of this information."

There was a silence on Hiashi-sama's part, the meaning behind it undecipherable. He only murmured, "If you say so. Is this a new client, Neji?"

Neji nodded. "Yes, he is Sabaku Gaara, and I have been taking care of Shukaku personally, for he does not like the cages within my vaults."

"Oh really? He seems to be unique as hearts go."

Shukaku crawled out of Neji's yukata where he had been hiding, his nose and front paws poking out into the air. Neji suppressed a laugh as Shukaku's fur tickled his chest, feeling the heartbeat next to his. He hadn't objected to the small raccoon's position when he had first dove in (shuddering about too many touchy-feely little children), just warned Shukaku that he had better hang on and to try not to tear his yukata. It was one of his better ones for day-to-day wear.

_Of course I'm unique, _Neji heard Shukaku say in his mind, and sniff haughtily. _Who expects Sabaku Gaara's heart to be just like everyone else's? I mean, _he_ certainly isn't like everyone else. _

Neji's uncle's eyes widened, asking in disbelief, "He can mind-speak without being connected by touch?" Neji looked up, nodding.

"Yes, that's characteristic of hearts strong enough to be in a tangible breathing and speaking form. When I interacted with Kyuubi, Naruto's heart, he could apparently also mind-speak without physically touching me. We discovered this when, uh, Kyuubi broke away from my grip and attempted to run away when I tried to put him in a cage. He, like Shukaku here, doesn't like cages either."

Hiashi-sama looked thoughtful, pondering this new bit of information. "I don't suppose your little heart will agree to some tests?"

"You can ask him yourself." Neji replied.

His uncle was thrown off for only a moment, and then surprised Neji by bending his pride and doing what Neji had suggested. "Shukaku? Would you agree to have some tests conducted on you by some of the Hyuuga family?"

Shukaku thought for a moment. _Do tests mean touching and poking?_

Hiashi-sama thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I suppose most of it would amount to that."

Shukaku shuddered and retreated back into Neji's yukata, only the top of his head peeking out. _No more touching and poking…_ he murmured softly. _I've gotten enough of that! I'm only allowing Neji to touch me now!_

Neji smiled, amused, before pushing Shukaku out of his yukata and into his hands. "That's your own fault." he told the small raccoon. "You're too cute."

Shukaku stuck out his small pink tongue when he couldn't think of a good comeback. After all, it _was_ a compliment. Neji laughed at the retaliation. The two of them didn't notice a small smile on Hiashi-sama's face, as he thought about how open Neji seemed to be with his emotions today. He let the conversation before him continue for a few minutes, before calling Neji's attention back to other matters that needed to be discussed.

-----

It was late in the afternoon when Neji and his uncle finished their talk, and Neji's spirits lifted at the thought of a good spar. He expected for his uncle to get up and to tell him to change out of his formal wear and meet him in the training grounds, but instead Hiashi-sama said, "Let's go for a walk, Neji."

Neji's brow furrowed, surprised by this change in routine, but stood up and followed his uncle out the main house door, Shukaku in his hands. The three of them walked (well, Shukaku wasn't walking but you get the point) around the gardens for a bit, Neji waiting for his uncle to break the silence.

He did, deliberately stopping in the middle of a path and turning to Neji. "You're turning 25 soon, yes Neji?"

The younger Hyuuga wondered where this question was leading to, since his uncle knew quite well that his birthday was next week. "Yes, Hiashi-sama. Next Wednesday, in fact." Neji's uncle nodded absentmindedly, as if thinking of something else. Only after a few more seconds of silence did he turn his full attention to Neji. "Do you know the significance of your 25th birthday in the Hyuuga family?" he asked.

Neji blinked, puzzled. "No, Hiashi-sama. To my knowledge there isn't anything special about my 25th birthday…"

Another silence, and an uncomfortable feeling came over Neji. What was his uncle trying to tell him? "In the Hyuuga clan," his uncle started, "one's twenty-fifth birthday is the time when we believe one's heart comes into full power. This means that one's heart grows more susceptible to love potions, and also love of the natural kind. Another effect is that a broken heart induces much more drastic reactions." He sighed. "Suicides are the most common around this time. And so, around this time, before one's 25th birthday, the Hyuuga clan places a seal on each family member, that monitors each person and the condition of their hearts. By a main family member's command, these seals can numb someone's pain, put them into a coma-like state, or even kill, although that action is rarely taken, usually only when a family member is trapped with an irreversible love potion. Am…am I explaining this clearly?"

Neji nodded. "Yes, Hiashi-sama. And so you wish to place one of these seals on me?"

"Yes, Neji. This afternoon, if you think you are ready."

"Of course, Hiashi-sama." Neji watched as his uncle's eyes clouded with thought and waited for him to say something.

"Neji…you remind me of someone."

"Who, Hiashi-sama?"

"Your father. When Hizashi learned about this on his – _our_ 25th birthday, he agreed to it just as readily as you did, trusting me with his life. Do you really understand this seal, Neji? You are putting your life in the main house's hands, and especially in Hinata's hands. Do you trust her?"

Neji nodded without any hesitation. "Of course. I believe Hinata will make an excellent family head and I trust her utterly."

Hiashi-sama still looked at him with some trepidation in his eyes, and shook his head slowly. "I suppose it is necessary…" he whispered, before turning and striding back to the main house. "I will wait for you in your old room, Neji. Come after you think over this a little more. And besides, I believe Shukaku would like to talk to you."

Neji watched as his uncle walked away before looking down at the little raccoon still nestled in his hands. "Shukaku?"

The raccoon looked up at him with his pitch-black eyes. _Are you sure this seal is wise, Neji?_

Neji smiled as he walked to a nearby bench and sat down. "Well, I can't really refuse to have it, can I?"

_I believe your uncle is granting you the option, Neji. He seems to have had some bad experiences with the seal. _

Neji shook his head slowly. "I will not be singled out within the Hyuugas just because I am a favorite of my uncle. I will do my duty and endure the seal. And as for bad experiences…I do not know much about this, since there is not much talk about the seal, even among the family. But I believe it is referred to as a curse seal, since it grants the main family great power over the branch family members." Neji paused, thinking. "But I do not begrudge my cousins or my uncle of its power. It must be hard, deciding if a beloved family member should live or die, and it must be harder still activating the seal and killing, although it is necessary. I would rather die than to be enslaved to someone my whole life."

Shukaku lowered his gaze, saddened. Necessary seemed to be the word to describe everything today. _I would rather you live…_

Neji smiled at the sentiment and laid a gentle hand on the raccoon's head. "It's a hard choice, little one. I guess it could depend on the situation."

_But no matter what happens, I'd still rather you live. You're too good to die. _

"…Thank you." After another moment Neji stood up again, setting Shukaku on his shoulder and walking towards the main house.

He walked into the room he used to sleep in before he got his own business and apartment, and saw Hiashi-sama and Hinata waiting for him, a futon placed on the floor. "What should I do?" he asked.

"Lay down." Hiashi-sama replied. "Hinata will be the one actually giving you the seal."

Neji did as he asked, first placing Shukaku down carefully. From his reclined position he smiled up at his cousin, seeing the fear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Neji…" she whispered, her hands trembling as she held the senbon.

"It's fine, Hinata. I trust you." He saw her hand steady with his encouragement, and she dipped one end of the senbon into the green (why green? Neji wondered) ink beside her.

"This is her first time." Hiashi-sama said. "I thought it would be better for her to experience it first with someone she knows and not a more distant relative, and I will guide her through this. This _will _hurt, Neji. It is not only a tattoo on your forehead; it is also imprinted on your heart." Neji nodded in understanding, and his uncle went on.

"Now, Hinata, start in the middle of Neji's forehead, and draw…" Neji stopped listening the first moment the senbon touched his forehead. Yes, it _was _painful. It was a line of fire cutting him open to the core, to Loveless, and branding him. He clenched his fists against the throbbing pain and willed himself not to move, not to make this any harder on Hinata than it already was.

-----

Shukaku watched the procedure with worried eyes, he could see Neji was in pain but couldn't do anything in fear of wrecking Hinata's all-important concentration. The raccoon paced a little before sitting down again, tail waving madly. It seemed like a restless eternity before it was done. The moment it was, Hinata flung down the senbon and ran out of the room, sobbing. Shukaku jumped onto Neji's chest, feeling his heart beat madly. The raccoon watched as the newly done tattoo faded into the skin, and Neji's body relaxed. But his eyes still hadn't opened.

_Neji?_ He inquired quietly.

"He's sleeping." Hiashi-sama replied. "He'll sleep the afternoon through after this, because his heart needs to heal and accommodate to the seal. You are going to stay with him, yes?"

Shukaku nodded. _This seems so painful on all of the Hyuuga family._ He remarked. _Why do you keep this seal? _

The answer did not come immediately, and when it did, Hiashi-sama's deep voice was full of sadness. "You're right, it is painful. I remember the first time I went through it…I marked Hizashi, Neji's father, my twin, with the curse seal, and I remember thinking, as he shuddered with pain, that this meant we were totally different now. He was of the branch family, and I was of the main family, and I wanted to cry as Hinata did when it was done. Unfortunately…this seal is necessary." It was that word again, Shukaku thought. That hateful word.

"Besides giving the main family power over the branch family, a secret held from the branch family members is that the seal guarantees that the family head, who is the center of these seals, can throw off the effects of any love potion, no matter what it is. And so, the branch family, when marked with these, is compelled to protect the main family. Neji would understand this if I were allowed to tell him. He would understand that the Hyuuga family cannot have the family head fall into danger."

Shukaku turned to face Neji's uncle, scrutinizing him with beady eyes. _The branch family seems to sacrifice a whole lot for the main family, so much it seems…unfair. _

"Know that I am only telling you this because Neji trusts you, and I trust Neji's judgment. You will never give these family secrets away, or I shall be forced to be…cruel. And nothing Neji says or does will be able to save you from my wrath."

Shukaku nodded. _I understand. I only want to know this to understand Neji a little more. _

Hiashi-sama gave the raccoon a nod of approval, and went on. "The branch family may seem to sacrifice a lot on the surface, but it is the main family who is trapped within our system of living." Neji's uncle showed a thin-lipped smile, bitterness present instead of amusement. "A branch member may love and marry outside of the family, or not marry at all if they wish, when the main family's heir must marry well, usually in an arranged marriage, and needs to carry on the Hyuuga line and insure another heir, although the gender does not matter. Lucky for me, I loved my beautiful wife Kisa, but it does not always happen. I know for a fact that my mother and father had other lovers within their marriage, taken because they did not love each other.

"And then there is the responsibility to the family, to help it prosper and resolve its problems. From sunup to sundown one thinks of nothing but the family, because that is our job. The worry is constant, the stress is enormous, and a nervous breakdown would be inevitable if not for the benefits of a family who loves you and the people who would give your lives for you. But…it is still painful."

_You do not have to go on if it pains you._ Shukaku insisted.

"No, you will have to know this to understand Neji's pain and to help him. You really do want to, don't you?"

Shukaku nodded.

"Well, then. I will tell you. You know that Neji is an orphan?"

_I gathered that since you and his cousins seem to be the closest family members he has. What happened to his parents?_

"His parents…" Hiashi mused. "His father was my twin, Hyuuga Hizashi, born from our mothers' womb only minutes after me. His mother was my wife's younger sister, and of a distant branch of the Hyuuga family, Hyuuga Keiko. The two of them started dating a few months after I married Kisa, when Hizashi and I were 27. Almost everyone was surprised, perhaps most of all me, because Hizashi had vowed to stay single and help me shoulder the burden of being family head. And before this, he had kept his promise fully, being my helping hand at every step of the way.

"But I was happy for him, because he seemed to be happy and very much in love, though the relationship seemed to moving a trifle fast. Within 2 months they were married, a month more and Keiko was pregnant. But no one suspected anything, and on July 3, 1982, Neji was born. By that time Kisa was pregnant with Hinata, and the whole family was jubilant at the newborn and the prospect of another coming on the way. And then…a few hours after…Hizashi requested a private audience with me, while Keiko was still recovering in the hospital."

Hiashi-sama clutched his head in his hands, the memories seemingly overpowering him. "He told me Keiko had slipped him a powerful love potion at the start of their relationship to make him fall in love with her, that he had not noticed for the first few months, not until they were married and Neji was conceived, but then he had reflected that in their numerous fights, he had always been the one to come crawling back on his knees. With his suspicions, my brother had then studied his heart, Hitori, using his Byakugan, and had noticed the love potion. Since you don't have Byakugan, I'll tell you what a heart affected by a love potion looks like.

"There is an area, a center, in everybody, where their heart resides. Also, when someone loves you and you accept their love, their heart occupies this center. In essence, a part of your lover is always with you. Tell me, little one, how much do you know about this?"

_This is about the extent of my knowledge. I haven't had much experience with love, so…_

"I see. The Hyuuga clan's Byakugan can see through a person to his center, among other things. And when a love potion has been used, the drinker's heart will be trapped within the other person's center, so that the drinker will be forced to feel affection and attraction. Hizashi thought it was worse than rape, and I believe Neji does too. The love potion that Keiko had used inspired a feeling akin to obsession, and it could not be reversed. It had formed a black band around Hitori, a stranglehold that would never let go. This was why Hizashi had broken his promise, why the relationship had moved so fast. My brother confronted Keiko after his discovery, of course, but she had made him keep it a secret, on the threat that she would kill herself and her unborn child."

Hiashi-sama looked down at his hands, folded neatly on his lap. "Hizashi loved children." he whispered. "He wouldn't even think of harming one, and certainly not his own unborn child. So he had kept silent until today, the day of Neji's birth, and now that Neji was safe, Hizashi had revealed his secret to me, and now he…he wanted me to kill him, using the curse seal." Hiashi-sama fell silent, contemplating that long ago day, and when he spoke again, his words came out clipped, as if he couldn't dwell on them. "We argued. For hours, we shouted at each other, because he wanted to die, but…I didn't want to kill him. I told him Keiko probably loved him truthfully; she was just insecure. I told him he was running away from his troubles, I called him a coward, and I screamed that he was shirking his duty to the family. Hizashi…he didn't waver in his choice.

"Not even when I told him he was abandoning his son, and me! He was leaving me alone, for the first time in my life…!" Everything seemed to have faded around Hiashi-sama - he didn't seem to be registering anything now. Shukaku sat quietly, wanting him to finish. "We had always been together, no matter that he was branch family and I was main. No one could tell us apart, so Hizashi would often take my place in a meeting or in one of father's lessons, so I could have some spare time, to actually have a life. And now…after he had granted me a true life, been my savior through all of these years…he wanted to leave me? He actually believed I could kill him. And for this reason of a love potion…this trivial reason that was going to take him away! I was scared – what would life be without him?

"What…what finally convinced me was the reason he wanted to die. Hizashi told me…'I don't want Neji to grow up with parents who do not love each other. I'd rather you bring him up, Hiashi, as a son rather than a nephew. He deserves love like that, and I'm not the one to give it to him. Will…will you do that for me? Be his father, help him along in life, because my life's too twisted to give him that sort of unconditional love. But…you still can, and you will, won't you, Hiashi?'

"I promised I would, and he embraced me in thanks, wiping off my rampant tears because I had just then decided to fulfill his wish. I had decided to kill him." Hiashi-sama looked up now, looking older than ever and weighed down. "I don't regret it now. Hizashi died happily, or as happy as he could've been, and he died an honorable death, in my mind. And…I was glad that the last face he saw as he left was mine. It was fitting, I supposed." Hiashi-sama closed his eyes, but Shukaku still saw the pain lingering behind them.

_But…a part of you died with him that day, didn't it?_

Hiashi-sama gave the small raccoon a sad smile. "How perceptive. But yes. He was my twin, a half of me that no one could replace. I miss him…"

Shukaku shifted uncomfortably, and then squeezed out the question he needed to ask. _What happened to Neji's mother?_

"Keiko? She was planning to suicide when she had heard that Hizashi had died by my hands – she was broken-hearted and knew Hizashi must have told me all, and so she tried to take Neji with her to the afterlife. I had been expecting that, however, and I was with Neji when she came for him. I could see her aim to take her life along with Neji's with my Byakugan, so I…I killed her with the curse seal too. It was easier to take her life, because she had taken Hizashi from me…

"I still didn't enjoy taking someone's life though. Hizashi was the first person whom I had put the seal upon, and he was the first person I killed with it. Nothing could've been more difficult than that."

Hiashi-sama gazed at Shukaku, awaiting his reaction.

_Poor you…_ the raccoon murmured. _I guess the main family doesn't have it better than the branch family after all…all those hard decisions! How did you cope, afterwards? _

Hiashi-sama smiled. "I had Kisa, who forgave me for…killing her sister when she learned the reason. And Keiko had a much more painless death with the curse seal than she would have had with anything else. I also had Neji, and Hinata, who came about six months later. I told Neji about what had happened within the first few hours of his birth when he first entered sixth grade, and somehow he forgave me, even though I had _killed_ both of his parents. I must admit, I do love him as a son, though I am glad to spare him the trials of the family head. He will just have to support Hinata, just like Hizashi supported me."

_He is a good person, Neji is. I just wished he didn't have to be so lonely…_

Hiashi-sama nodded in agreement. "Loveless was a hard thing for him to bear, back when he was younger, and he still insists on pushing people away. I think…I think his heartname is like a self-fulfilling prophecy – Neji hasn't found a love because he does not allow himself to. And perhaps it is fate. But I would like to change it. Will you help me, little one?"

_What can** I** do?_

"You're going to stick around him for a while, correct?"

_Yes._ Shukaku agreed.

"One thing I've noticed is that whomever else Neji pushes away, he never pushes any hearts away. I was averse to the idea of his business at first, but now I see it's doing both him and the community good, and I have no objections."

_What did you want him to become? _

"ANBU." Hiashi-sama replied. "It is an elite force whose goal is to track down people who produce, sell, and use love potions, and also to try to reverse the harm caused by those love potions. A police force, if you will, for hearts. The Hyuuga family, armed with the Byakugan, is particularly suited for this job, but ANBU welcomes anyone who has a penchant for connecting with hearts. Hizashi was in ANBU before he got married, and I went through some of the training for it. But back to the subject at hand, I hope that if Neji trusts you, then maybe he will trust your person. I do not know much about Sabaku Gaara, except that he is exceptionally rich for one of his age and that he heads Sabaku Corp., but he should not be too bad of a person if you are his heart."

_So you want me to set Neji up with him? _Shukaku made a note to himself to rethink the merit of fate. It seemed like everything was coming together for Neji and Gaara.

"Well, yes. Do you think it will work?"

_I'm…not sure. Now that I'm separated from Gaara, I don't know how he'll react to Neji…and Neji doesn't seem to want to make the first move either. I will try to help, but I don't know how much I can do…_

Hiashi-sama stood up, and bowed to Shukaku. "Thank you, little one. I am sure you will try your best. Now, will you stay with Neji until he wakes up? I unfortunately have more business to attend to today."

_Of course._ Shukaku replied. _What should I do when he wakes up? _

"If it is before 7, you two should come to the dining room, because we shall be eating dinner. If it is after 7, tell Neji to find me in my office. At that time I shall instruct someone to drive you two home, because I don't want Neji to walk home in the dark."

_Ok. _Shukaku nodded. _Neji is lucky to have an uncle like you, Hiashi-sama. _

The Hyuuga head smiled slightly at the compliment. "And I am lucky to have a nephew like him." With that, he walked out, leaving Shukaku sitting alone on Neji's chest. The small raccoon turned to regard Neji's face, and then walked up his chest, until he could snuggle against Neji's neck. He did so, his small head under Neji's chin, and his small body warming Neji's skin. _Sleep well…_ he whispered, before his eyes closed and drifting off himself.

-----

**Next Chapter:** Orochimaru, Itachi, and a wedding (no, not between the two of them…)! Please stick around, and thanks for reading!

Btw, one of my reviewers asked me about the heart protection thing. Yeah, I thought that up through a stroke of inspiration, but I'm still working out the details, so if you're confused please ask. This chapter cleared some of it up, I hope.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: ...

A/N: My computer died. That's my excuse.

**Last Chapter:** Neji's childhood.

**Guardian of My Heart – Chapter 3**

Neji's eyes fluttered open, and he groaned at the morning sun, and the beeping alarm clock, and the fact that he had to wake up. Gah. He stretched, cut off his alarm clock, and sat up, feeling something furry and warm still covering his neck. "Do you enjoy sleeping like that?" he asked Shukaku. This was the second time he had woken up to this, first time being last night, and he wondered just how comfortable the raccoon would be.

_It's warm…_ Shukaku murmured as he stretched and stirred, letting out a little mewl of a yawn. _And I can feel your heartbeat against my own…_

"It also prevents me from crushing you in my sleep when I turn." Neji added.

_Yes, that too. _Shukaku slid down Neji's chest, finally coming to a stop on his bedcovers. _So, how do you feel?_

Neji rubbed his forehead, where the tattoo had been yesterday. Last night, after he had woken up, Hiashi-sama had explained to him that now that he had received the tattoo, it would only show up when activated, which hopefully was going to be never. Well, at least Neji didn't have to wear a headband all the time or something…

That was the only good thing so far. His head felt like it was going to split, his muscles ached, and why was the world spinning? Oh right, that was part of the nausea…Neji focused back on Shukaku. Ok, good, his eyesight was focused again.

"I'm…I'll be fine." Shukaku stared up at him with a look of disapproval.

_No you're not, Neji. Now what can I do to make it better? _

Neji scooped Shukaku up, startling the raccoon, and got out of bed quickly, standing up on the carpeted floor of his bedroom. That was a mistake, as he found out. The world started spinning once more, he closed his eyes, and dropped back onto his covers.

_Neji!_ The disapproval was being screamed loud and clear into his mind. _Never do that again! You are not endangering yourself when you're in this condition!_

Neji groaned. As Shukaku's small weight made its way up his chest, he made his argument for getting up. "But it's 6 am! Probably 6:10 now! I need to take a shower, make my rounds, and eat breakfast all before 7!"

_You are NOT exerting yourself so early in the morning! Go back to sleep! And I've been meaning to ask you, why do you open at 7? _

"We're not opening, per say. If a client makes an appointment it has to be after 9, but my bank doubles as a hospital."

_Hospital? How's that? _

"Well, there's a group of people in Konoha called the ANBU-"

_Your uncle told me. _

Neji paused for a moment, wondering how Shukaku and Hiashi-sama had gotten onto that particular subject and what else they had talked about. "Ok then, that makes the explanation easier. I have experience healing broken hearts, so when the ANBU either finds someone about to kill themselves because of a broken heart or rescues someone from the clutches of a love potion, they bring them to me. It's not always in the early morning that they do this, but I've found out from experience that they usually bring down a love potion maker's hideout in the night, find who they sold to, and by the time they find the victims it _is_ around this time. So I wake up, go downstairs, and sometimes they actually come with a patient. Other times, the ANBU themselves come here for a break if they went through too rough a night. I can always be counted on as a source of food."

_Huh…does your uncle know about this? _

Neji scratched his head in thought. "Well, I haven't told him outright, but I think so. He doesn't really let anything slip past him. So, now do you get why I need to get up?"

Shukaku glared, green eyes frigid. _Get back into bed, mister. Until you can kill that headache and get your natural energy back, you are RESTING. You don't need to help everybody all the time, you know. Take care of yourself. _

"Fine, fine." Neji grumbled petulantly as he dragged himself back under his covers. "I'll sleep for another hour, ok? But then I'm getting up and doing rounds." Shukaku still glared (such a commanding presence from such a small raccoon), so Neji scrambled to explain. "I always feel better after my rounds. Whether I'm sick, or tired, or anything, I come out feeling better. And I need to spend more time with my hearts, so let me do this, k?"

Shukaku slowly relented, and then nodded. _Fine. But if you don't feel any better after that you're STAYING in bed, ok? _

"But I've got appointments!"

_Then cancel them! Your life doesn't revolve around other people, Neji! It revolves around you!_

Neji mumbled softly and dove under his covers. "So what are you going to do while I sleep?" His voice was muffled but still understandable.

_I shall be sleeping with you. What do you expect? _And Shukaku crawled under the covers too, curled up around Neji's neck, and closed his eyes. But he couldn't sleep. It was like…an _itch_ within himself that he couldn't scratch or something. He tried not to move, not wanting to disturb Neji, but when his breathing slowed and steadied, showing he was asleep, Shukaku slowly wiggled out of Neji's covers and jumped down to the floor. He walked around for a few moments, debating whether Neji would care if his curtains were somewhat torn, but then Shukaku decided he wouldn't care. The raccoon bounded up Neji's curtains (like a squirrel up a tree) and settled on the windowsill, looking out at the world.

The sun was rising, slowly, though Shukaku couldn't see much of it, behind all the buildings. Not a lot of people were actually awake, since this street was mostly comprised of small businesses. Also, the people who worked in those huge skyscrapers that were blocking out the sunrise (Gaara was one of them, Shukaku knew) liked to live closer to work, in the corporate part of Konoha, and this neighborhood was a half-hour drive (without traffic) to that part of town. Even within the Hyuuga clan, although Hiashi-sama regulated everything, there were Hyuugas in every facet of business in Konoha, and those had the choice of moving to a neighborhood of town-houses the Hyuuga family had purchased especially for their working-class. So there wasn't much of a rush hour in this part of Konoha…

As time wore on, the _itch_ grew worse. And it wasn't a good itch, Shukaku knew. It was the kind of itch you got when you knew a bad storm was coming, when you knew you should call in sick to work today and stay in bed. But Shukaku didn't know what to do about it, except to tell Neji when he woke up. He narrowed his eyes when a car pulled up in front of Neji's business, but relaxed when he saw it was only Shikamaru. The raccoon sighed – he was being too paranoid.

But he still didn't stop looking out the window, trying to pinpoint where the danger was coming from. Because Shukaku knew with the utmost certainty that whatever he was feeling wasn't a danger to him; it was a danger to Neji, and he was going to do his best to guard Neji from it. Whatever it was.

-----

When Neji woke up again, he squinted at the window and saw the silhouette of something sitting on the windowsill that wasn't there before he went to sleep.

"Shukaku?" he called softly.

The silhouette turned around quickly, and it indeed was Shukaku. _Yeah Neji? _

Neji smiled in spite of his still-pounding headache. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure that was you. How did you get up there anyways?"

_Your curtains. _

Neji glanced at them and blinked. "Oh. Well, you have my permission to climb up them whenever you want to. I didn't like them all that much anyways…" He sat up, gingerly shielding his sensitive eyes from the direct rays of the sun.

_Do you feel better?_

"Um, not really, but I'm getting up anyways." Neji stood up, stretched, and yawned. He always slept in his boxers, so he grabbed for a shirt and a pair of pants (semi-formal edging onto formal, of course. He couldn't look sloppy in front of his clients) while Shukaku watched from the windowsill.

_Are you going to take a shower? _

"Hmm, not enough time, I'll take one tonight. I'll just brush my hair…" Shukaku jumped down from the windowsill and followed Neji into the bathroom. He looked around, noticing just how many hair products (shampoos, conditioners, gel, no dyes though) were lying around. And there were some lotion bottles mixed in, along with eyedrops and other miscellaneous things in the cabinets.

…_This is amazing. **Girls** have less hair products than you do. _

Neji, noticing Shukaku sitting on the floor, stuck out his tongue and lifted the raccoon onto the counter. "That's because they have less hair. And besides, this is how I pamper myself. No make-up, thank god, but my hair and skin need to be perfect."

_I am glad to see you can be selfish in at least one respect. You are certainly selfless in all others. _

"Hmm…" Neji smiled, flattered in spite of himself. "Don't say that yet, Shukaku. You haven't seen one of my bad days yet."

_How bad can it get? _

"Oh, you have no idea." Neji started brushing his teeth, and Shukaku looked around again, just to half-squeal at the sight of another bottle.

_Bubble bath!!_ Unknown to all of his fangirls, Sabaku Gaara liked bubble baths, and therefore, Shukaku did too. Neji smiled at the reaction as he rinsed out his mouth, put down his toothbrush, and grabbed a towel.

"Yeah, I like bubble baths too. We'll take one together someone, k?"

Shukaku's eyes were wide with joy. _Promise?_

Neji nodded, and laughed at Shukaku's joyous expression. He finished washing his face, grabbed a hair-tie, and let Shukaku climb onto his shoulder before walking out of the bathroom. They went into the kitchen, where Shukaku lapped up his breakfast eagerly and Neji had a bagel along with his own drink, and then they rode the elevator downstairs.

As they moved into the vaults, Neji clutched the spray-bottle closer and breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately moved down the aisles, misting the hearts, but when he was done with that he set the spray-bottle down on the floor and moved back into the aisles, lavishing his hearts with attention. With the healthy ones he gave a caress and sometimes a check-up, using his Byakugan to see if they were still all right. With the sick ones he spent more time with, cooing and petting and just generally nursing them back into health. Neji found some of his hearts were jealous of Shukaku who got to stick with him all the time, and smiled, letting them ride on his shoulder too.

Shukaku noticed Neji's headache seemed to be gone, along with any scrap of fatigue, and wondered why. He got his answer a few seconds later. While Neji was busy consoling another broken heart, some sort of _energy_ seemed to be passing from the healthy hearts into Neji, although he didn't seem to notice.

_Hey Neji? _

"Yes, Shukaku?"

The raccoon paused for a millisecond, considering what he really wanted to do. _Put me down, please? I'd like to wander around for a while. _

Neji smiled at the request. "Try to make some friends, k?"

The raccoon nodded. _Of course. _

Neji lowered him to the ground, and Shukaku ran off into another aisle, to a heart that seemed to be giving Neji the most amount of energy. He found him (hey, he didn't know how he knew the heart was male, but he did) almost immediately, in a cage 3 feet off the floor. Shukaku looked up and asked, _Who are you?_

The heart moved closer and seemed to look down at the raccoon (if that was even possible without eyes…). **_I am Tensai. And you are Shukaku?_**

_Yes. Your aura seems…familiar, somehow. Who is your person? _

_**Uchiha Sasuke. And yours is Sabaku Gaara? He ruffled a lot of Neji's feathers when he came in yesterday morning. **_

_Yeah, he did. Gaara likes to ruffle feathers, of both friends, acquaintances, and enemies alike. It's his specialty. So, Tensai, am I right in saying that you're giving energy to Neji? And that he doesn't know? _

The heart seemed to nod. **_He needs it, wouldn't you agree? And I'm sure he'd stop this practice of ours if he knew about it, so we send him energy when he's distracted with working with another heart. _**

_How many of you do this? _

**_However many of us that can afford it. The broken hearts don't, of course, but we healthy hearts care for him, you know, and we try to help. Among all of us, we manage to always send him off each morning in near-perfect health. Yesterday morning was somewhat of an exception. We gave him enough energy to keep him awake and aware throughout the whole day, but an all-nighter would tax just about anyone. _**

Shukaku nodded in agreement. _Neji is good to everyone, isn't he? _He paused, and then asked, _Do you feel that some sort of danger is coming? I felt it, this morning, but I don't know what it is…_

Tensai's aura flared out, a sure sign of alarm. **_Yes, I think everybody felt it this morning. We don't know what it was, either, but it's definitely threatening to Neji, and we're afraid for him. If he was hurt, or worse, was killed…we wouldn't know what to do. Nobody except Neji has tried this sort of thing to help us hearts. I don't have much to worry about, since Sasuke has Naruto, but more and more hearts are coming in by the day, and I worry for them. By the way, Shukaku, sorry about stealing Naruto from Gaara. You don't seem that distraught over it, but I noticed Gaara was. _**

_Yeah, but it's fine. You should just focus on being happy with Kyuubi, you know? I'll find the right one, and so will Gaara, sometime in the future. Neji says he'll help._

_**Then I wish you happiness and luck. And will you keep an eye on Neji? For all of us? **_

_Of course! I care about him too! _Shukaku scrambled up the cages to Tensai's, poking his nose in between the bars. _Tensai? _

_**Yes? **_

_Want to be friends? I know that Gaara and Sasuke aren't, but right now we're separated from them, and we shouldn't hate each other, you know? _

The indigo-colored heart shifted forward, tendrils of his aura reaching out and touching Shukaku's nose. The raccoon snuffed softly, liking the cool touch.

**_I think I'd like it if we were to become friends. _**Shukaku smiled, rubbing his sensitive nose against the other heart. Then, in an instant, Shukaku was snatched off of the cage and was dangling in the air. He thrashed in the hold, claws out and ready. He only stopped when he saw it was Neji, and then he scowled.

_What's the big idea? Let me down!_

Neji glanced at him and acquiesced, placing Shukaku down on the floor before sitting down beside him. His face was right at Tensai's level, and he peered in the cage. "I can't believe you managed to find Sasuke's heart in the midst of all the others. Are the both of you ok?"

**_What, you're afraid that we were fighting? No worry, Neji. Shukaku has been very kind and polite. _**

Neji raised an eyebrow. "No animosity between the two of you?"

_No. What our persons do is of no matter when we're separated. We do not have to be so prejudiced within our range of friends, do we? _

Neji laughed. "Of course not! I'm happy that you two have found each other! Perhaps now Gaara and Sasuke will be on speaking terms! It'd do a great amount of good for Naruto, you know, because he cares about the both of them and he can't do anything with the two of them together."

**_Oh really? _**This was news to Tensai, of course, because what he knew about Sasuke's doings now was only what Neji told him.

_Yeah. _Shukaku answered. _It's way too uncomfortable when they're within even 10 feet of each other. It's been lessening slowly, of course, but Gaara still feels seething jealousy whenever Sasuke and Naruto show affection for each other._

_**And Sasuke? **_

_I dunno, but he's been a bastard around Gaara. He smirks, and loves to rile him up. They fight more than Sasuke and Naruto do these days. _

**_Ah…that means he's insecure about Naruto, and needs to take out all other rivals. _**Tensai sighed, as if disappointed by his person's actions. **_I remember when he was still jealous of Neji, because Itachi spent more time with him than with his little brother. That was just…_**

"Yeah, I remember it too." Neji rolled his eyes and pulled Shukaku into his lap. "Sasuke being a little bastard is very hard to stomach, I'll admit. He says he learned it from Itachi – by the way, Shukaku, that's his older brother – but I've never even seen Itachi lose his cool, much less be a bastard."

**But that's only with you, Neji. Itachi's specialty is being a bastard, especially, it seems, to people who attempt to flirt with you. **

Shukaku looked around for the speaker, and saw another heart, a few cages away, colored a lovely shade of amethyst. He then looked up at Neji, and noticed, to his surprise, that his cheeks were dusted with light pink. _Who's he? _Shukaku asked curiously.

Neji stood up suddenly, opening the latches of Tensai's and the mystery heart's cages. "Well, if we're going to have a proper conversation, you two might as well come out." He held out his hands, the two hopped on, and Neji lowered them to his lap too. They immediately (rolled? shifted? materialized?) moved next to Shukaku, and the mystery heart asked, **Can I touch you? You seem so interesting, and so real!**

_Sure. _Shukaku half-purred as the heart, along with Tensai, moved up his leg and up onto his back, nuzzling his fur. It felt…soft and cool, refreshing like a glass of cold lemonade on a hot day. _Who **are **you? _He, of course, was referring to the mystery heart.

**I'm Uchiha Itachi's heart, of course. My name is Kitai. **

_Oh, hello._ Neji was amused to see Shukaku grow somewhat shy, and wondered just what Gaara (and the raccoon) had heard about Itachi. _Your person, Uchiha Itachi, he's…he's the only person alive to have attained Mangekyou Sharingan, isn't he? _

**Oh yes, you've heard of him? **

Neji snorted. "Who hasn't heard of him?"

**True, true. Anyways, anything else you wanted to ask about Itachi or Mangekyou Sharingan? **

Shukaku gnawed on his lower lip, and Kitai moved up until he was between Shukaku's small ears. **Come on, don't be shy. Everybody wants to know about the great Uchiha Itachi, and you should be no exception. Although you're one of the few people or hearts that have gotten this chance to ask questions, you know. He's way too reclusive for his own good, and the only people who can break through his somewhat prissy shell are Sasuke, Neji, and Naruto. **

Shukaku looked up, and Kitai rolled down his back with a delighted laugh. _Oh, are you ok? _He twisted his head in an attempt to see Kitai, and Tensai rolled down his tail too, whooping with joy. Shukaku turned around fully and nudged the two hearts with his nose, and they rolled, though not very far, since Neji stopped them.

"Now, now, children. Don't get too excited around each other, or I won't let you accompany me around today."

Kitai looked up at Neji. **You do realize that two out of the three of us are older than you, right? **

Neji chuckled nervously. "Um, yeah. But you're all so cute. Much cuter than your persons. Anyways, do you want to come with me today? I need to go soon, it's almost 9…"

**Yosh! **Kitai shouted enthusiastically (1), and Tensai agreed too. "Good." Neji smiled, scooped them up, and put Shukaku on his shoulder, Tensai onto his other shoulder ("Try to hang on, ok?"), and Kitai into his shirt pocket. He strode out of the vaults, and since it was close to opening time, all his employees were here, and Haku greeted him with a cheerful 'Good Morning!' as he walked past his desk. Shukaku suddenly jumped off his shoulder and onto Haku's desk, staring at Neji's receptionist/secretary's face.

_Don't tell me…you're a guy too, aren't you? _

Haku smiled, cheerfully surprised. "How did you guess? Most people don't see that at first glance."

_Oh well, for one, your hair is absolutely perfect, like Neji's – do you have a lot of hair products too? – but you aren't wearing any make-up at all. Not that you need it, of course, but girls who care about their hair that much usually don't leave off make-up. They're either too vain or too insecure. _Shukaku shrugged slightly, brushing the observations off.

"Oh, thank you. What's your name? I believe I am right in assuming you are a heart, hmm?" Haku reached out somewhat tentatively, laying a hand on Shukaku's head, and when he felt that it was just as physical and touchable as himself, he started to scratch Shukaku behind the ears. It was what made his cat purr, and it should have the same effect on a raccoon, Haku thought.

Shukaku mewled in enjoyment and nodded in answer to the question. _I'm Shukaku. I'm…-mewl-…Sabaku Gaara's heart. _

Haku shot a smile to Neji as he continued to pet the sand-colored raccoon. "It's nice that you've got such a great new client, Neji. Do you think he will be using your services for long though? Sabaku Gaara's young, the same age as you, isn't he? And he should meet someone he likes fairly soon, I should think."

"Yeah, I do too," Neji agreed. "but he says he doesn't want to fall in love at all."

Haku stared, disbelieving. "You're not kidding?"

Neji sighed. "I wish. But I'm going to try to help him anyways. He just needs to get over his first love, which incidentally, was Naruto. Sabaku Gaara says he's known Naruto for 10 years, and I wonder why I haven't met him before this. I've known Naruto for _15 years_, after all."

Haku smiled. "Hey, you've known me for at least 6 years, but you still didn't find out about Zabuza until I told you."

"I knew you were seeing _someone_, at least! I just didn't…expect it to be Zabuza."

"'Course not." Haku said breezily, before putting Shukaku back onto Neji's shoulder. "Nobody expected it except 'tachi. Oh, wait Neji. I've got some bad news." Neji, who was about to go into his office, paused and waited for Haku to go on. "Orochimaru made an appointment for this morning. He's coming in at 9:15, your first appointment of the day."

Neji gave no comment, just looked down at the floor as his expression clouded, and Shukaku wondered who Orochimaru was. "Thank you, Haku, for warning me. You say he's coming in at 9:15? Good, I'll deal with him quickly and send him on his way."

Then he went into his office and closed the door softly, before collapsing limply into his swivel chair. He did not _need_ Orochimaru this early in the morning…

Shukaku jumped down onto the desk so he could look up at Neji, Kitai, and Tensai, and asked, _Who's Orochimaru? _

Neji closed his eyes and rested his forehead in his hands, signaling he didn't want to talk about it, and Shukaku turned to his two fellow hearts for an answer.

**_Orochimaru's publicly a businessman who deals in antique furniture and exotic trinkets, but privately, he manufactures love potions, or really supplies the money for a lab and a factory for his pet chemist, a man named Yakushi Kabuto. Since Neji's business almost directly conflicts with his own, he's been bothering Neji a lot, offering to buy this business, molesting him, and being a snake pervert in general, although I suppose he has good taste. I'd want to molest Neji too if I wasn't a heart and didn't have Kyuubi. _**

Neji glared half-heartedly. "He sees me as weak just because I look like a girl. People like him make me want to scream, the sexists, but then I remember I'm opposing him with every heart I've got safe in my bank, and that's the only thing that comforts me. Orochimaru is a slimy bastard, who'll use any trick in or out of the book to ruin me. I'm holding out pretty well, though. It does some good that Itachi's on my side and not on his, since even Orochimaru's wealth is overpowered by the Uchiha Empire's, and the Hyuuga family produces exceptional lawyers. If not for those two things, I would've been out of business before I had gotten my first client."

Shukaku frowned, a wrinkle appearing on his brow. _You mean…some people don't care that you doing good for all hearts everywhere? They just want to close down your business because…_

"Because it'd be more profitable for them if their love potions would work on everybody, yes."

_And Orochimaru is one of them? _

"Yes." Neji looked around, and then said decisively, "All of you are going back to the vaults. I'm not letting him anywhere near you three."

**_No. _No! **_NO! _All three objections came one right after the other, loud and vehement. **We are not leaving you alone with the snake bastard. **

"And I'm not letting the hearts I care for the most right now be within 10 feet of him. You're not protecting _me_, I'm protecting all of _you_."

As Neji talked, Shukaku felt the itch come back in full force, and he started to stand on edge. He didn't want to leave Neji alone, not with Orochimaru, because this itch was focused on him, and Shukaku worried for Neji…he made up his mind quickly, his tail twitching madly.

_I'm staying. You're giving this up, Neji._ As Neji started to protest, Shukaku added, _I have teeth, I have claws, and I can defend myself. You might be protecting Kitai and Tensai by locking them back in the vault, but I'm just as safe there as I am in here, and I'm determined to stay. I'll pretend I'm a statue or something and not move, but I'm not budging from your desk._

Neji glared, but he gave up after Shukaku glared back just as fiercely. "Fine. But you two" he motioned to Kitai and Tensai, "are going back to the vaults and going back _now_."

They radiated disapproval, but they shifted towards the door silently, moving through the walls ('cause hearts who weren't like Kyuubi and Shukaku could do that) and back into the vaults. Neji and Shukaku stared at each other, before Neji ruffled the raccoon's fur with a small smile. "To tell the truth, I'm relieved you're going to be here. You can prevent me from trying to kill him."

_Oh great. Is he really that bad? _

"I have issues with harassment and people who believe I'm as weak as a girl. They bullied me through all of school and especially during my first few weeks of college, before I met Itachi. So I have issues, and a pent-up frustration ready to burst."

_Uh huh. _

Neji glanced toward his cameras and waved his hand. "Quick, Orochimaru's coming in."

Shukaku turned around on the desk, sat down on his rump, and turned still as a statue, while his eyes were glued to the screen that filmed the image of a man walking in the front door.

Orochimaru was more skeletal than thin, and his height added even more to the impression that he was a malevolent wraith, or one of the undead, clothed in a body of imitation skin and bones. He was also wearing an obviously expensive 3-piece suit, the dark blue color only bringing out the green-grayish tint of his skin. His hair looked oily, the light reflecting off it as off a snake's slippery scales. Orochimaru came through the office door a little later, and Shukaku, still motionless, noticed his eyes were slanted and narrow, his gaze as a predator to prey.

Neji did not stand up when Orochimaru came in, matching his gaze with one of his own. The snake sat down without asking, a twisted smile on his face and his left foot on his right knee. "Hello, Neji. I trust you are well?"

Neji's lip curled in disgust at the slimy whisper, but managed not to conceal his feelings about everything else. "As well as I can be on a Friday morning with you dirtying my office, yes."

"You know well what I'm here to discuss, I'm sure."

Neji's gaze turned into a well-crafted glare, his silver eyes hardening into icy opals. "And you know well what my answer is to your proposal, I'm sure. I refuse to sell my business, and you cannot make me do anything."

Orochimaru clucked his tongue, suddenly moving forward into Neji's personal space and smiling once more. "Well, you know Neji, I've been thinking about that, and I believe you are right. I cannot make you do anything you do not want to do, but then, all I need to accomplish is to make your goals the same as mine. Then, you will bend to my will, and I'll have your business."

"What are you implying, Orochimaru?" It was strange, how they had dropped the honorifics, not because they were close, but because honorifics showed the amount of respect granted, and there was none between them. Neji could not believe at the underhanded tactics Orochimaru used (or was rumored to use) to gain what he wanted, and the snake sneered at Neji's honesty and fairness in his business dealings. "Because if you think your dishonest actions will have any effect on me," Neji glared once more, "Think again."

Orochimaru's slimy smile widened bit by bit. "Well, we'll just have to find out when it happens, won't we Neji? I have to confess, I'll enjoy it when that time comes. You've heard of my sadistic streak, I'm sure, and I have a great appreciation of the aesthetically pleasing. And you are very beautiful." He paused, letting that sink in. "Kabuto would like to examine your Hyuuga eyes up close, you know. His greatest wish is to examine the Uchiha Sharingan and its bloodline, but he'll be satisfied with the Byakugan. And we both want to…_play_ with your amazing abilities. Although…I'd much rather play with _you_."

Orochimaru's hand slithered up into the air, aimed for Neji's cheek. Shukaku tensed, feeling no movement behind him from Neji.

"Beautiful, beautiful Neji…" Neji must've been frozen with either fear or rage, and that hand was getting closer, and Orochimaru was standing up now, but Neji still wasn't doing anything, and Shukaku didn't want Orochimaru to touch Neji. Orochimaru was bad, was the source of that itch that had been bothering Shukaku so much, and Shukaku knew he need to do something, anything! And…was that a knife in Orochimaru's hands?

It was definitely something shiny, and something sharp, and without thinking Shukaku launched himself forward and buried his sharp teeth and claws into Orochimaru's arm, because Neji would be harmed by whatever it was Orochimaru held, and Shukaku couldn't let that happen, because Neji was his _savior_, was a savior to so many. If anyone had been looking, they would've seen the little raccoon's eyes turn red.

Shukaku slashed across Orochimaru's arm, ripping cloth and skin, and sunk in his teeth as far in as possible, not letting go until Orochimaru pulled him off with a sharp curse and threw him toward the wall behind Neji. Shukaku hit it with a sickening thud, dropping down to the floor exhaling a small whimper and curling up, trembling with pain. It HURT. He'd always been sheltered within Gaara, never been out in the world, never been exposed like this, and the last coherent thought Shukaku had was the hope that Gaara wasn't feeling any of this, wherever he was. Then he embraced the welcome arms of dark unconsciousness, and thought no more.

Neji jumped up and ran to Shukaku, carefully scooping the raccoon up into his hands before turning back to Orochimaru, who had gotten over his cursing fit of a few seconds before as he regarded his bloody mess of an arm. Neji looked down at Shukaku, wondering what had propelled him to do something so violent. But Neji didn't seem to remember the past few moments – lethargy overcame his thoughts and he swayed on his feet as he tried to rack his memories. Neji blinked quickly, and the sluggishness dissipated.

What had happened? All he remembered was staring into Orochimaru's eyes, some sort of hypnotism perhaps? And then Shukaku had attacked, probably right on time, saving him from…something. But that something was connected to Orochimaru, which couldn't be good.

Neji was distracted by the snake, who was glaring at Neji and Shukaku even while his blood still flowed over his suit sleeve, making no movement to bind it up, and Neji wasn't going to offer.

"You cannot have such a dangerous and wild animal in your office," The snake hissed. "I will lodge a complaint and have it put down, and I assure you it shall be done as speedily as possible."

"I doubt you will be able to, Orochimaru, even if you bring it to court. This is not a wild animal, this is one of the hearts I protect, and since it is usually mild-mannered, I am sure it was acting in self-defense. This also belongs to one of my most prestigious clients, and I believe he will be very happy to supply lawyers. So I believe we'll keep this to ourselves, hmm?"

Neji swallowed nervously, looking at the delighted sparkle in Orochimaru's eyes. What had he said? "What an interesting heart. I presume there are more of these physical beings?"

Neji wanted to collapse onto his chair and bang his head on the table for his stupidity. Of course Orochimaru would be interested in Shukaku, as a novelty, if nothing else. Why had he not thought? He pursed his lips and stayed silent.

"Ah. That's how it is." Orochimaru smirked. "Well, they have certainly perked my interest." He stood up, taking off his suit jacket and laying it over his bloody arm, hiding it from sight. "Good day, Neji. You have certainly made my day one to remember." He strode out, and Neji allowed himself one sigh before turning his attention to Shukaku. The raccoon was battered, to say the least, and lay limp in Neji's hold. He was unconscious though, and hopefully could not feel the pain, but could there be physical pain to a heart? Neji supposed so, since there wasn't any emotional damage visible, but he had only dealt with emotional pain, not physical. So who could he go to? Shukaku was a raccoon, so a vet…

Yes, Kiba and the Inuzukas were just a block away, and they SHOULD be open this early, though god knew they were lazy. Neji ran out of his office, startling Haku, but he didn't spare the other an explanation, rushing out into the street and to Kiba's animal hospital. Ok, the sign on the door said they were open, and Kiba was behind the counter when Neji came in.

He frowned at Neji's battered appearance and asked, "What's the matter, Nej?"

Neji walked up to him and laid out Shukaku on the counter, showing him to Kiba. "Orochimaru threw him against a wall. I think some of his bones are broken, though I don't know for sure."

Kiba felt Shukaku's prone form with soft fingers, and his frown deepened. "I think you're right." When he saw Neji's worried look, he asked, "Why did Orochimaru throw him against a wall? Besides the fact that he's a snake bastard, I mean." Kiba needed to distract Neji, because he did not need a hysterical Hyuuga beside him (though Neji rarely was hysterical).

"And come on, we'll go into the back. He, what's his name? He needs X-rays." Neji went through the door out of the waiting area and into the actual animal hospital, following Kiba into an exam room, where he laid Shukaku onto the exam table and positioned the machine. They then went into an adjoining room and Kiba pushed a few buttons, which then took the X-rays.

While they were waiting, Neji answered Kiba's questions. "His name is Shukaku. He's…he's a raccoon, though definitely not a normal one…is he ok?"

Kiba was looking at the X-rays with a neutral look on his face. "He's got several fractures, broken ribs, but he'll live. Though, I have to ask again. Why was Orochimaru throwing him so hard? And where did you find such a strange animal? It's…exotic. You didn't get it from the black market, did you? You know I don't approve of that, no matter how beautiful the animal is and how well you'd take care of it. An animal of the wild should stay where it was born."

Neji looked a bit sheepish as he answered. "Shukaku isn't really an animal, he's a heart that I've been taking care of, and he's one of the only ones that have physical forms. He bit Orochimaru and tore up his arm, I think because he was trying to protect me, but I'm not sure. Anyways, that's why Orochimaru threw him against a wall."

Kiba winced. "Ah. But good for him, trying to inflict pain on Orochimaru. Not a lot of people would. By the way, I don't suppose you can tell me who the heart belongs to, can you? I'd like to go up to him and shake him by the hand to thank him."

Neji speculated for a brief second on what would happen if Kiba actually attempted that with Sabaku Gaara. It wasn't a pretty image, and Neji was glad he had a legitimate reason to refuse Kiba's request. "No, you know I have to keep my clients' privacy, although I will tell you that it's nobody that you or I know personally."

"Hmm…that's good. I guess your client isn't feeling the pain himself, right? Or you wouldn't be here." The X-rays were done and Kiba were looking at them, missing the stricken look on Neji's face.

"Actually…I don't know. I don't know why it slipped my mind, but I when Shukaku was unconscious I just didn't know what to do, so I rushed down here and…" Neji paused, possibilities running through his mind. "Will you take care of Shukaku? I need to make some calls, check up on…"

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead." Kiba turned and grinned, baring his (way too dog-like to be natural) canines. "I'll take care of him, don't worry 'bout it. I'll give you a call on his cell when he wakes up, and I think if you drop by again later in the day you can pick him up. I bet he's adjusted to your touch, you know? Like any other pet with their owner, and in my experience, pets don't like going to the vet and being separated from their humans. Shukaku should be the same."

Neji smiled in thanks and hurried out of the exam room. Returning to his office, he passed by Haku again, but now stopped to give him an explanation. Well, this was partly because Haku yelled 'NEJI! WHAT HAPPENED!' as he walked by, and Neji didn't want a spazzing Haku to pick up the phone to any of his clients.

"Orochimaru threw Shukaku against a wall." He replied to the shouted question, gasping.

Haku blinked and gaped. "Why?"

"Shukaku bit him. Anyways, I need to go see if Sabaku-san is all right…" Without another word Neji walked into his office and closed the door, grabbing Sabaku Gaara's paperwork (it was still there from yesterday, he hadn't gotten to tell Haku to file it yet) and flipping through until he got to the personal information. He marked the work phone number with a finger, and picked up the phone and dialed with the other hand.

After the start of one ring someone picked up, but it was definitely not Sabaku Gaara who answered. For one, it was a woman. The secretary, probably… "Hello? May I speak to Sabaku-san?"

"You're speaking to her." Neji blinked, and wondered if he had heard right.

"Sabaku Gaara-san?" he asked again. He heard a laugh from the other end.

"Ah, it was a false hope, I suppose, to think such a nice-sounding guy would be calling for me. I'm Sabaku Temari-san, and who are you?"

Right…there had been an article in a business magazine somewhere detailing Sabaku Gaara, and Neji had read that Sabaku Gaara had adopted two of his employees, his secretary and his chauffeur, as his siblings. Sabaku Temari and Sabaku Kankuro, originally Miyata Temari and Miyata Kankuro, had been the children of servants to the Sabaku family, and had grown up alongside Gaara. Gaara was amazingly vocal about his adopted siblings, and had told the magazine the reason he had adopted his siblings was because after his mother had died during his birth and his father had ignored him, Temari and Kankuro had been the ones to take care of him. He had wanted to thank them somehow.

"I'm Hyuuga Neji. May I speak to Gaara?" On second thought, it might not have been wise to refer to Sabaku Gaara by his first name, hearing the feminine titter from the other end.

"That tells me what your name is, but not who you are. Are you Gaara's boyfriend? Please tell me you're Gaara's boyfriend. Or that you're single. Single is good too."

"Um…I'm not Gaara's boyfriend. I'm just a business associate."

"But none of Gaara's business associates would dare to call him by his first name! Come on, tell me the truth!"

"But I am a business associate, Sabaku-san-"

"Call me Temari."

"Would Temari-chan suffice?"

"Sure."

"Ok, Temari-chan, I take care of Ga- Sabaku-san's heart, Shukaku, and I was wondering if…well, has Sabaku-san fainted in the past ten or fifteen minutes?"

"Wait, you're THAT Hyuuga Neji? The one that runs that bank for hearts?"

"Yes, Temari-chan. Now will you please check up on Sabaku-san? I'm a bit worried about him."

There was some shuffling on the other side of the phone, and Temari's voice came back a few seconds later. "He's fine, and as irritable as ever. What happened and why are you calling?"

Neji wondered if he should disclose this private information, and Temari noticed this pause. "Come on, Neji-kun," she crooned, before she got serious. "I was his guardian for several years, you know. I _am _his sister, and he trusts me with keeping his fangirls and fanboys out of his private office, which is the unofficial job entrusted to his secretary. It's quite fun, actually. But the point is, you can trust me with his private info, hmm?"

"You're right, but will you get him and put me on speakerphone? I don't really want to repeat what I'm going to tell you."

There was a laugh, before Temari shouted, "GAARA!" Neji held the phone away from him and winced.

"WHAT!?" Came the reply, and Neji winced again. His ears…

"HYUUGA NEJI WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!"

By now Neji was wise enough to have put the phone down on the desk and not so close to his poor eardrums. He picked it up a moment later, cautiously bringing it close. "Hello?"

"Hello Hyuuga-san. What do you want?" came the crisp reply. Did he always assume that everybody wanted something from him?

"Did you feel any pain about ten or fifteen minutes ago?"

Silence.

"Yes."

In the background I could hear Temari fussing over him (though Neji thought that he'd be too scared to fuss over the redhead…), and then he heard a beep, which probably signaled that Gaara had turned off the speakerphone. "Gaar- Sabaku-san?" Neji really did need to stop calling him Gaara in front of anyone except Shukaku…

"Yes?" The tone suggested that Neji had better not waste any time.

"Where did the pain come from?"

"My chest."

"Oh, ok. Then I suppose it must've been Shukaku…"

"My heart?"

"Yes. Sannin Orochimaru was in my office earlier, where he threw Shukaku into a wall." Neji waited for the reaction.

"I thought I paid you to _protect _my heart?" Of course he'd go with the bitter and sarcastic retort. And he was good at it too.

"I'm sorry, Sabaku-san. I_ would_ refund your money and let you take Shukaku back, but I should think that he would prefer to stay with me rather than go back to you."

"What?" The incredulousness made Neji wonder if anybody besides Gaara's siblings had ever contradicted him. "Just what are you implying, Hyuuga-san?"

"Well, if you hadn't mistreated Shukaku so much, and kept him miserable, maybe you would be in a happy, loving relationship by now! Do you understand how much pain you've caused him in the last few years?"

"He was my heart! It was my decision!"

"Well yes, but you could've been less stupid!"

"Who isn't stupid while in love? But then, you wouldn't know, would you?"

Neji felt his stomach sink. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you haven't ever _fallen in love_, have you? Seeing as how your heartname is Loveless."

Neji bristled, wondering why it seemed to hurt so much when Gaara hit his weak spot. He hung up the phone and set his head down on his hands, wishing he knew why he wanted to cry. And then he knew. He was being a hypocrite about Gaara. He was making his own heart miserable too…

-----

Temari glanced at Gaara, somewhat shocked to find him looking so angry. "What happened?" She asked softly, gulping when he turned to face her. Her little brother was truly scary when he was angry.

"This Hyuuga Neji thinks he can judge me about my love life when he doesn't even have one!"

"How do you know?"

"His heartname is Loveless."

Temari's brow furrowed. "Really? How did you find out?"

"Naruto. For the past month or so all he's been talking about is either Uchiha Sasuke or Hyuuga Neji, and I preferred listening to him talk about his best friend instead of his boyfriend. He told me Neji's heartname had 'destined' him to a life without love, though I don't really believe it. If everybody's heartname has a meaning, then what does Shukaku mean?"

Temari ignored Gaara's last question, instead turning to the former topic at hand. "But Neji-kun seriously hasn't dated or loved anyone before?"

Gaara stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Naruto says he's too afraid of rejection. I say he's too sissy to engage in a real relationship."

Temari was now sitting back in her swivel chair, with Gaara leaning on her desk. "But think about it…if he really believes that he's destined to be unloved, how lonely he must be…"

"Hmph." Gaara went back into his office, and Temari pondered how she would feel if she was condemned to stay single her whole life. She shuddered at the thought and turned back to her computer, getting back to work.

-----

Neji sniffled but looked up as Kitai and Tensai came through the walls again, moving up onto his desk. **_What happened?_** Tensai asked tentatively.

"Orochimaru threw Shukaku into a wall."

**We knew that already, Neji. I meant what happened just now that made you want to cry?**

They rolled up to his head, nudging insistently. "I just called Gaara." Neji answered.

**_And?_** Tensai prodded.

"And in the course of conversation I told him that he had been making Shukaku miserable for the past few years."

**Which is true. Go on. **

Neji smiled at their support. "When I told him he should have moved on, he replied that I shouldn't be the one to judge him, because my heartname was Loveless and that I hadn't felt love before."

**Bastard,** Kitai immediately put in, doing what Itachi would have done in these circumstances. **He shouldn't be the one judging you. But how did he know? **

"I'm not sure, but I think Naruto might have told him." And then his eyes widened. "Shit."

_**What?**_

"Both Shukaku and Kyuubi are in danger."

**_WHAT?_**

Neji winced. "I accidentally let slip to Orochimaru that Shukaku was a heart and not an animal, and he was…interested by the idea of a heart with physical form. He's going to be scouring the city for them, and I pray he doesn't find Kyuubi before Naruto and Sasuke get married. After that, Kyuubi will be safe."

_**Naruto and Sasuke are getting married today. I don't care if they don't have time, you will drag them over here and MARRY them, ok? **_

Neji could see how worried Tensai was, and nodded in agreement as he reached for the phone. He dialed Sasuke's cell, and waited as the phone rang three times before going to the answering machine.

"_Uchiha Sasuke. Leave a message if it's important. Leave if it's not._"

"Hey Sasuke, it's Neji, get over here today, I have time to marry you and Naruto, and I'm sure you want to get married as soon as possible."

Neji hung up, then dialed Naruto's cell. The blonde didn't pick up either, and Neji was faced with the answering machine.

"_Hey, it's Uzumaki Naruto here, leave a message after the beep, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible! I'm most likely eating ramen or making out with Sasuke at the moment, so whatever you have to say comes second!"_

Heh, typical Naruto. "Naruto, it's Neji, and get yourself over here now, and Sasuke with you, ok? You two are getting married today, since I have time."

Neji frowned as he hung up. "Neither of them are picking up…I wonder where they are."

**Probably with each other.** Kitai commented. **Try calling Itachi. **

Neji took his advice and dialed Itachi's cell, and the Uchiha picked up after the first ring. "Uchiha Itachi."

"Hey Itachi, it's Neji."

"How are you doing? Is everything ok?"

Neji rolled his eyes. "Do you just assume that I need your help whenever I call? I can call for other reasons, you know."

"Uh huh, right. So why _did _you call?"

"Because…I needed help finding Naruto and your brother."

"…" Neji could just feel the smirk Itachi was probably sporting on his face right now.

"Fine, fine, this time I do need your help, but don't take it for granted! Neither Naruto nor Sasuke are picking up their cells, and I need to marry them today." After a pause, Neji added, "And besides, I needed to call you anyways because you're probably going to be best man, aren't you? They don't want a big wedding, but I'm pretty sure they'd want you there."

"I see. And why do you 'need' to marry them today?"

"…It's a long story. I'll tell you later, but I don't want them to know. Just find them, ok?"

"Fine. See you later, Neji."

"Bye. I owe you one, 'tachi."

He heard a snort from the other line. "You owe me a lot, Neji, but it's fine. Take care of yourself."

And with that he hung up. Neji stood up, stretched, and picked up Tensai and Kitai. He walked out of his office, telling Haku, "I'm gonna be in the vault if you need me. Tell me if any clients come." Haku nodded and Neji went, wanting to store up energy for the day. He'd need it.

-----

(1) I just…crack up when I think of Itachi's heart saying this. –snigger- Anybody else laughing with me?

**Next chapter: Naruto and Sasuke's actual wedding, and the beginning of NejiGaara (or GaaNeji). Or a cliffhanger. Not really sure which. **


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Naruto does not and will never belong to me in any way. Too bad.

A/N: I've started watching the Naruto Shippuuden episodes, and I have to say I love them. The opening and ending themes are really cool (the ending is especially cute), but as I've been watching Naruto, I find myself thinking that the characters I write are way too girly (most of the time). Except for Gaara. Gaara, in this fic, is not girly in any way (though he might change…). Anyways, it's my Spring Break, and I've been sleeping a lot and writing too. I hope the next chapter will come out sooner than this one did…

Warning: ItachiNeji, though it'll be one-sided, and a cliffie.

Last Chapter: Orochimaru, Tensai, Kitai, and Itachi.

-----

**Guardian of My Heart – Chapter 4**

Itachi knocked on his brother's apartment door, hearing the scramble for clothing inside (most likely from Naruto, who was apt to trip and knock over a variety of things). Sasuke opened the door a second later, clad only in a pair of boxers. He narrowed his eyes at Itachi and asked, "What do you want?"

"Ah, Sasuke, you've grown up so quickly. I can still remember the time when you'd beg for my attention, and now you're telling me to go away!"

Sasuke snorted. "I repeat, what do you want? I have more _pressing_ matters to get to right now."

Itachi smiled and decided to relieve Sasuke's misery. "Get dressed. You and your Naru-chan are getting married today."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "But I thought we were getting married next week!"

Itachi shrugged. "Neji moved it up to today. You would've known sooner if you two actually answered your cell phones. Since you didn't, I was sent to get you presentable." He held up two dry cleaning bags in his hands. "I took the liberty of picking up your suits, and if we can't find a pair of dress shoes that fit Naruto, we'll go out and buy some." Itachi squished past Sasuke and made his way into the apartment, setting down the suits on the couch. "Close the door and go change, otouto, you're getting married today!"

"WHAT?!?" This came from Naruto, who hadn't heard much of the previous conversation until now. "We're…getting m-m-married?"

Itachi gave him a bright smile. "Yep, today! And although I know the bride and groom aren't supposed to see each other on their wedding day, well, we'll just not pay attention to that little fact, hmm? Now get changed." He thrust a dry cleaning bag into both Naruto's and Sasuke's hands, and shooed them into separate rooms to get their suits on. While waiting, he ran through a mental list of all the things he needed to pull off Sasuke and Naruto's wedding.

Clothes, check. Itachi himself was wearing a freshly pressed black suit with a demure dark blue colored shirt underneath. He couldn't steal the spotlight away from the bride and groom, after all. Or groom and groom. Something like that.

Decorations, check. Itachi had seen where Neji performed weddings, a niche connected to his vaults, not too big, not too small. There were always freshly picked flowers lying within the room, and when you went in, you were content just to stand and breathe in the scent. Also, Neji let his hearts come out and watch during the weddings, acting as the lights within the room, and the luminescence they gave off made everything seem ethereal, because it really wasn't like any other source of light. So there wasn't any need for other decorations.

Food, check. The Akimichi restaurant near Neji's business was a favorite with Sasuke and Naruto, and besides, there was an Ichikaru ramen stand within walking distance, so that was taken care of.

Rings, check. The two rings Sasuke and Naruto had ordered a month ago, when Sasuke had first proposed, were in Itachi's shirt pocket. They were just simple gold rings, not flashy at all, and showed the simple bond of love that tied Naruto and Sasuke together.

Anything else? Itachi didn't think so, though he made a note to himself to talk to Neji after the wedding. Something had to have happened, he was sure, to have made Neji so impatient to get the wedding over with.

Sasuke came out now, looking crisp in his suit, though his tie wasn't quite straight. Itachi walked up to him and started to tie it again, whispering, "I'm happy for you, otouto. You're going to have a good life with Naruto by your side."

Sasuke gave him a smile, something he usually reserved to Naruto these days. "Thanks, aniki. I hope you find someone for yourself soon, now that you don't feel like you have to take care of me always. You deserve some love too, you know."

"I know. And I _have_ found someone, as you well know." Itachi replied, thinking of a certain long-haired pale-eyed brunette.

Sasuke sighed. "You're still pining over Neji?"

"Well, I'm not exactly _pining_…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes you are. You have been ever since you first met him, and Neji just doesn't want to see it, because then he'll have to reject you."

"Hey hey, I still have a chance. I don't have to be rejected."

"Fine, I'll wish you luck, but I don't think you'll get anywhere. Neji still believes in Loveless…"

"I may have found a solution for that, though."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Really? What would it be?" But before Itachi could answer, Naruto came out and Sasuke had eyes only for him.

-----

Neji had changed into a formal black suit and had let his healthy hearts come out and watch the wedding, as he waited for the participants to actually get here. They weren't too far away, since Itachi had just called him a few minutes ago to say they were on their way here.

He looked up as the vault doors opened, and watched as Shikamaru let Sasuke, Naruto, and Itachi come in. Right, he needed to incorporate Itachi into the vault system too, to let him be able to get in even if Shikamaru wasn't here and neither was he.

Neji smiled as Naruto waved enthusiastically and ran over, encasing the brunette in a tight hug.

"Neji!!" he yelled in joy. "You can't believe how happy I am!"

Sasuke looked on at this display of (friendly) affection with a sour look, before he heard a voice coming from below him. **_You have no need to be insecure, Sasuke. You know Naruto loves you and only you. _**

Sasuke looked down with a small smile and picked Tensai up from the floor and up to eye level. "And how have you been?"

_**Wonderful, though I have missed Kyuubi a bit. But besides that, Neji has taken care of me very well. **_

"Good. Now, let's get you reacquainted with Kyuubi, shall we?" 

**_Wait. First I need to get reacquainted with you, Sasuke._** And with no other warning Tensai jumped out of Sasuke's hands and disappeared into his chest, where he settled into what had been his home for most of Sasuke's life. Sasuke felt an immediate rush of love towards Naruto as Tensai became part of him again, and for a few moments he was utterly happy, before the onrush of feeling Tensai had created wore off into a sort of contentedness he had scarcely felt before in his life. It was like…knowing everything was going to be all right, no matter what happened in the future.

**_That's because we're connected again, and you're getting married. _**Tensai was back in Sasuke's hands, glowing with health and happiness. **_And after the marriage, I'll be always within Naruto, so you two will never be parted until death. It's a nice feeling, isn't it? _**

"Yeah, it is. Naruto will be my soulmate, just like Kyuubi is yours. Now, what do you say about seeing Kyuubi again?"

_**I'd love that.**_

Back where Neji and Naruto were, Neji had pushed Naruto off of him, whispering something about "jealous Uchihas", and Naruto had laughed, before asking, "So you've met Gaara?"

Neji nodded, wondering why Naruto was mentioning the redhead at such a time.

"So…what do you think of him?"

Neji's brow wrinkled at the way Naruto's happy blue eyes were focused on him. The blonde obviously wanted Neji to be friends with Gaara, especially considering the way Sasuke and Gaara somewhat hated each other. And Neji didn't want to put Naruto into another uncomfortable situation, having to choose between one friend or another. "He's…ok. I think Shukaku, his heart, is the cutest and most independent heart I've ever met, and though I don't exactly see the same qualities in Gaara, well, he's very defensive, you know?"

"Yeah, I know Gaara tries to block everybody out, but once you hang around him a little longer, he opens up." Neji had a somewhat queasy feeling in his stomach after this comment, wondering if Naruto was planning something with him and Gaara, but thankfully Sasuke came over at that moment and provided a distraction.

"Hey, dobe." Neji rolled his eyes at the first insufferable and then turned cute nickname. "Will you let Kyuubi out? Tensai's just about shaking with excitement."

Naruto gave the raven a brilliant smile before complying, Kyuubi materializing in his hands. The fox immediately stretched and yawned, shaking his tails out in a huge pantomime of being disturbed while he was sleeping. He stopped the pretense, however, when Neji chuckled.

_What?_ He asked, quite annoyed. Kyuubi was quite the drama queen, and liked to be the center of attention even more than Naruto did. _It's been a long time since I was allowed to be free!_

Neji could not stifle his amusement, and he laughed once more, even as he picked Kyuubi up and cuddled the fox within his arms. "So long that you don't realize your soulmate is here? Tsk tsk, Kyuubi, you're getting just as absentminded as Naruto." Neji now turned his attention to Naruto and Sasuke as he said, "I'll give you two a moment to yourselves before we start the wedding, ok? Revel in your happiness or something as your two hearts get to know each other again." He caught the expression Sasuke was holding, and added, "And don't have sex. Save that until after the wedding."

After saying that, Neji scooped up Tensai from Sasuke's hand and walked over to Itachi, who had been inspecting the rest of the vaults and some of the broken hearts a moment before. He was softly petting an amethyst glowing heart in his hand; it seemed Kitai had already found him. Neji set down Kyuubi and Tensai (who were talking avidly with each other) on the floor before standing up and asking, "Are you happy for your brother?"

"Oh yes. Sasuke's happiness makes me happy, and he's found true love, so…" Itachi shrugged, knowing Neji knew this already. "It's been what I've wished for ever since our family died."

"What about a wish for yourself?"

Itachi scrutinized Neji with careful eyes. "What do you mean?"

Neji rolled his eyes. "You know exactly what I mean. I offered to set up Naruto with you first, not Sasuke, and I want to know why you turned him down. And don't give me that answer that you want Sasuke to be happy, which I know you do, but still, there was another reason, wasn't it?"

They stared at each other, neither backing down. "Let's go on with this wedding." Itachi suggested. "I'll tell you later."

Neji sighed, before saying, "Fine,". Picking up Tensai and Kyuubi once more, he made his way back to Sasuke and Naruto, and gave each their respective hearts. And as he did, he couldn't help but smile, seeing the happiness shared by the two lovers. They looked positively glowing. "Are you two ready?"

They both nodded and Neji and Itachi took their places, Neji before Sasuke and Naruto and Itachi beside his brother. Neji took a deep breath, and started.

"Today, we have come together in the presence of Love, to witness the marriage of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, and to share in their joy. Marriage is a sacred bond, between both humans and hearts, and it is not to be taken lightly, for it cannot be broken easily. Are you ready to form this bond, Uzumaki Naruto?" Naruto nodded. "And you, Uchiha Sasuke?" Sasuke nodded as well.

"And now," Neji turned to the crowd of hearts watching them, "does anyone in this room know a reason that these two should not be joined together in holy matrimony? Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

There was no reply from any of the hearts (and Neji was satisfied, since those hearts represented most, if not all of Sasuke and Naruto's friends), and Neji moved on. He turned to Naruto and said,

"Uzumaki Naruto, do you take Uchiha Sasuke to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love him, cherish him, honour and protect him, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Kyuubi sprang out of Naruto's arms at this second, settling down between Naruto and Sasuke in preparation for the part of the marriage that would include the hearts.

"And Uchiha Sasuke, do you take Uzumaki Naruto be your lawfully wedded husband? To love him, cherish him, honour and protect him, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Tensai dropped to the floor too, gliding up to Kyuubi, but still not touching the other. They watched as Neji took Naruto's and Sasuke's hands and brought them together, and listened as Naruto recited his vows.

"I, Uzumaki Naruto, take you, Uchiha Sasuke, to be my husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."

Kyuubi laughed a little as he disintegrated into a fine powder that drifted and sparkled on the air. He didn't quite know what was happening, but trusted Neji to keep him safe.

"I, Uchiha Sasuke, take you, Uzumaki Naruto, to be my husband. To have and to hold, from this day on; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."

Tensai drifted apart too, mixing with the particles that were Kyuubi until they were completely inseparable. Above them, Itachi had taken out the rings, giving one each to Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto took Sasuke's left hand carefully, and slid the ring up the Uchiha's slim ring finger.

"With this ring…I thee wed." A rush of sparkling powder flew into both Sasuke and the ring he had just received, cementing his bond to Naruto.

"And with this ring," Sasuke repeated, a bright smile adorning his features, "I thee wed." The rest of the powder hovering between Naruto and Sasuke flew into the blonde and the gold ring he now proudly wore on his left hand, completing the marriage. There was a moment of awed silence, fitting for this moment, before Neji blinked away his tears and whispered softly, "You may now kiss your partner to your hearts' content. Congratulations, you guys, you're now married."

Neji watched as two of his best friends came together and kissed in absolute joy, and couldn't stop his tears from spilling over once more. It was so beautiful…

When Sasuke and Naruto finally broke apart, their faces were flushed but happy. When the blonde saw the tears coming out of Neji's eyes, he stretched out a hand and wiped them away. "Thank you, Neji." he said. "Thank you for everything."

Neji tried to smile. "You're welcome. Now…you should go, ne? Go and enjoy your new marriage. I just need to talk with Itachi…"

Sasuke spared a look for his older brother, and reflexively caught something as Itachi threw that something towards him. He looked down and saw it was his brother's car keys. "Drive my car, Sasuke. Don't worry, I'll call a limo or something for myself later."

Sasuke nodded and then walked out with Naruto beside him, holding hands. Itachi waited until they were out of sight before walking up to Neji and encasing him in a warm hug. "I see them, you know." he said. "These aren't completely tears of joy. I can see tears of genuine sadness too."

Neji sniffled and attempted to stop crying. "It was so beautiful…"

"I know. Want a tissue?"

Neji shook his head no, and then grasped Itachi's hand, pulling him out of the vaults. Kitai was still pulsing in Itachi's suit pocket, bouncing up and down with each step. Haku looked up as they came out, but didn't comment as he watched them take the elevator up to Neji's apartment. "Come on, let's go talk." Neji said. "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure." Itachi sat down on the couch Neji directed him to, and waited for Neji to finish making the tea. The Hyuuga came a few minutes later, holding two teacups and a teapot of very hot tea. He set the cups on the table and poured for the both of them, before finally looking up at Itachi's face. Itachi noticed that his tears were gone. "So, Neji, what's this thing with Orochimaru?"

Neji shook his head stubbornly. "Let's talk about you first. I've waited a long time to ask you this, and I'm going to get an answer. Why didn't you accept Naruto? I thought he was perfect for you, and you two were my closest friends, so…"

"It seemed like a match made in heaven?"

Neji nodded. "I mean, Sasuke was almost perfect too, and I suppose they were closer in age, but still…I would've been so happy to see you and Naruto marry. So why did you refuse to even try the match?"

Itachi shrugged. "I've always looked out for my brother before me."

"But I know that couldn't have been the only reason! You refused the match even before you knew Sasuke would even _like_ Naruto! You refused even before they had met!"

Itachi smiled thinly. "You seem so worried for my happiness, Neji. I can find my own happiness."

"I know…" Neji muttered quietly, almost too quiet to be heard by Itachi, "I just want to be sure your happiness doesn't take you away from me…"

Itachi smiled warmly at Neji's confession. "In fact, I think I _have _found my happiness."

Neji looked up, alarmed. "What? Who?!?" Then, realizing what he had done, he looked down again in shame. "I-I'm sorry, what I meant was that I'd like to meet your beloved sometime, 'tachi." _I want to make sure they're good enough for you. _

"You already know him, Neji." Neji's brow furrowed as he mentally went through a list of all his guy friends, wondering who Itachi was interested in. Itachi watched this with internal amusement, but decided to put Neji out of his misery.

He carefully grabbed Neji's tea cup and put it on the table beside his own before reaching over, cupping Neji's chin. Itachi leaned over the coffee table between them and slowly, gently, planted a kiss on Neji's lips. "I like you, Neji. I've liked you ever since the first day we met (1)."

Neji touched his lips, a little shocked, before stuttering out, "B-But It-tachi…"

Itachi smiled. "Let me finish, Neji. I think I've found a solution to Loveless. It's what you were going to bring up, weren't you?"

Neji nodded, uncertain about what to expect. What did Itachi mean by 'a solution to Loveless'?

Itachi sat back down on the couch and said, "You know I'm in the Akatsuki, right?" Neji nodded again. "Do you know what the Akatsuki does?"

"Doesn't…doesn't it consist of all geniuses like yourself who do research about hearts? I'm not sure about specifics, but…"

"You're right about what you know. And what I have been working on for the past couple of years is a surgery designed to transplant hearts." Neji gasped. "And I believe I have succeeded."

"But where would the transplant heart come from? And how would you sever the old heart without killing your patient? It would be impossible!"

"That's also what the rest of Akatsuki said when I first mentioned my project. But it's not impossible, Neji. I've figured it out."

Neji still looked skeptical, but he trusted Itachi's genius and didn't comment. Instead, he asked, "How?"

"It ties intrinsically with how my Mangekyo Sharingan transports people to the world of Tsukuyomi, which, as you know, is normally labeled the 'graveyard of hearts'. That's not exactly true, since hearts die with their respective people, but when someone's lover dies - let's say for example, if Naruto died, Sasuke's Tensai, the half that is locked in Naruto, would wander in the world of Tsukuyomi in an attempt to find his other half and Sasuke."

Neji nodded. "That's how Sasuke would know immediately if Naruto died, or was even severely hurt. Go on."

"Right. An ancestor of mine, I don't remember who, obtained Mangekyo Sharingan and saw these hearts, and then misnamed them as the 'Heartless'. It isn't entirely correct, as you know, but the name stuck." He paused, thinking. "And now I've gotten off-track.

"Anyways, a person who wants to undertake this transplant needs a volunteer to give them their new heart, and that is the hardest part, to find such a person with such a heart. The heart has to be given voluntarily, it cannot be taken by force, but after that the transplant itself is easy. I just transport me, the patient, and the volunteer (or just the heart) to the world of Tsukuyomi, where I sever the old heart and put in the new one. In Tsukuyomi, people without hearts can survive. I believe it has something to do with the Heartless, though I'm not sure what.

"And as for this surgery, I've actually tried it out with another patient, and it worked. Don't you realize the wonder of this, Neji? You can change your fate. You don't have to be Loveless anymore."

Neji frowned. "But…isn't it immoral? To take a heart from someone else and use it, even with their consent."

Itachi shook his head. "There are many people in the world who want to die, Neji. You yourself have seen many of them, whose hearts are broken beyond repair. They are like machines going through the motions of life without any purpose, and yet they want to do something when they die. Well, they can do this. In separating their hearts, I can give them a painless death, and then their hearts will go on to fulfill a worthy cause. It doesn't matter if the hearts are broken in their previous 'life'. They are wiped clean when separated from their person. And when they are transplanted, they give their new container a fresh start."

"I…I see." Neji was still hesitant, wondering whether this surgery was a miracle or a curse. "How do the other members of Akatsuki feel about this surgery?"

Itachi shrugged. "They view it as mad, most of them, but my partner, Kisame, knows that I'm doing it for you, and helped me to improve the procedure before that first attempt on a live patient. And he's brought up the fact that only Uchiha family members with Mangekyo Sharingan can even start this procedure, since only Mangekyo can transport people to Tsukuyomi."

"Then…" Neji interrupted. "Even if you transplant another heart into my body, we still wouldn't be able to be together, because you'd have to marry a girl to carry on the Uchiha lineage and the Sharingan. It at least gives a chance for more Uchihas to obtain the Mangekyo, and it'd be more important than any single relationship, even between us. And I'm not going to allow you to separate Sasuke and Naruto, so…"

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment as Neji trailed off, gathering his thoughts before opening them again. Then he reached over to stroke Neji's cheek, saying, "You're so unselfish, Neji. If we, the Akatsuki, don't figure out a way for non-Sharingan users to complete this transplant, I suppose I am obligated to marry and carry on the Uchiha line. But you'll still go through with the surgery, right? I'm not doing this all for myself. I…I want to see you happy with someone, even if that someone's not me."

"But I am happy!"

Itachi smiled at Neji's pronouncement. "But you're holding yourself back from loving anyone. You're so afraid of rejection that you only loosen up around hearts, and close friends like me, Sasuke, and Naruto. You don't give yourself a chance to find someone, Neji, and I just want to give you that chance. I just want to make sure that you can't blame anything on fate anymore, Neji."

"Then…I'll think about it, ok? I know you want me to be ecstatic, Itachi, and I thank you for doing this for me, but…I need to think about it."

"What's there to think about? All you need to do is find a new heart…"

"Yes, but I need to know if I'm ready to let go of Loveless." Neji smiled up at his best friend. "He's been a good heart, even with his heartname and his fate. And he's…part of me, you know? I don't _want _to let him go. Would you willingly give Kitai up?"

Itachi's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"There, you see? So let me think on this a bit, ok? But Itachi…" Neji leaned over the table and gave Itachi a hug. "If I didn't have Loveless, I really think that I'd love you as much as you love me. Thank you for doing this for me." Neji said this truthfully, though before he hadn't really labeled himself as gay. He had just went with the social norm and assumed that he was attracted to girls. And even now, he wasn't attracted to all guys or anything. It was just Itachi. Itachi was a special case, being one of his best friends and all.

And right now, best friend Itachi's cheeks had turned a little pink, making Neji smile. "You're welcome Neji." He allowed his arms to clasp his crush for a moment, before letting Neji pull back. "Now, Neji, you're going to answer my questions. What happened with Orochimaru? I know it has something to do with why you wanted to go through with Sasuke and Naruto's wedding so quickly."

Neji flinched. He had hoped that Itachi would have forgotten about the Orochimaru issue, but no such luck. "You see, Orochimaru came in this morning, and…" He stopped, then started again. "I got a new client yesterday, Sabaku Gaara. His heart, Shukaku, is-"

"Like Naruto's heart, yes. Kitai told me. But what does that have to do with Orochimaru?"

Neji could see his impatience, but he had to ask, "Well, if Kitai told you that, why doesn't he tell you the rest of it?" He was aware that he sounded like a child, but Neji knew what Itachi could do to people he didn't like. And this, he wanted to take care of by himself. There was no need to drag Itachi into this with him.

**Because I wanted you to tell him, Neji. **

Kitai had moved out of Itachi's pocket and onto the coffee table, and now nudged Neji's hands. Neji petted him and sighed, knowing Kitai's reasoning was right. "Hmm…so you know about Shukaku. Well, Orochimaru made an appointment with me this morning, and offered to buy my business again. And I refused, of course, but then he…I think he hypnotized me, and…" Neji shook his head. "Shukaku attacked him and stopped anything else from happening, but then Orochimaru threw Shukaku into the wall and threatened me again. And I did something stupid then, I let Orochimaru know that Shukaku was a heart, and not just an animal. He was…interested in the prospect of a physical heart, and I know he's scouring Konoha for one even now.

"So…I was worried for Naruto. And Tensai insisted that the marriage should be carried out today, so that Naruto and Kyuubi could be safe, and I obliged him. I'm still worried that Orochimaru will come after Shukaku, but…"

Neji paused and glanced up. Itachi's face was stony, eyes somewhat murderous, grave foreshadowing for what was going to come.

"Itachi…" Neji groaned. "Promise me you won't do anything."

"What do you mean?" Neji watched as Itachi struggled to maintain an innocent face.

"Oh, 'tachi, you know exactly what I mean. I can take care of this. In fact, I _am _taking care of it."

"Really?"

"Well…" Neji squirmed under Itachi's gaze, not wanting to lie. "I need some time to plan."

"Really?" This repeat was coupled with a smirk.

Neji squirmed even more. "Just don't do anything, ok? I don't want you to get in trouble…"

Itachi scoffed. "When would _I_ ever get caught?" He saw the disapproving look on Neji's face. "Ok, ok, I'm joking. But you still have to admit that it's true."

"I shall do no such thing." Neji sighed. "I _will _do something about Orochimaru, though. I just don't want to keep relying on you."

"Fine. Call me if you need any help, ok?" Neji nodded. "Then I've got to go."

"You…do?" Neji didn't know it, but he looked pitifully stricken at that moment. "What for?"

Itachi resisted the urge to ruffle Neji's hair, even if the Hyuuga looked like a little kid at the moment. "Oh, there's a meeting I have to attend, with someone that I can't afford to provoke with my absence. I'm sorry Neji, did you want me to stay?"

"Oh…no, it's fine." Neji couldn't quite hide the disappointment. Usually when Itachi came over they'd at least talk a little more, catch up. They were both busy with their work, so they didn't see each other everyday like they used to in college. But Neji tried to smile. "You finally found someone that you couldn't piss off, hmm? I'd like to see you suck up to someone, Uchiha Itachi."

"You'd have to wait a long time, Neji. There's no way I'd suck up to _anyone_." _Except you_, Itachi added. "But I'm sorry for cutting this short…want to eat lunch with me tomorrow? Little Sicily's opening a branch here. The food should be good."

"Well, I wouldn't know, would I?" Neji was a bit happier now, and looking forward to tomorrow. "I've never eaten there. (2) But you should go, shouldn't you?"

"Hmm. See you tomorrow, Neji. Bye Kitai." He patted the two of them on the head before walking out of Neji's apartment and riding down the elevator. He walked out of the business with a wave to Haku and a nod to Zabuza, and stopped short in front of the building. There was a limo outside with his driver in it, who waved for him to get in.

"Sasuke-sama called me, so I came." His driver told him. Well, it seemed like Sasuke could be considerate after all.

"Thank you, Tezuki."

"And where would Uchiha-sama like to go?"

"To my office, please." Tezuki nodded and started driving.

Itachi didn't waste time looking at the scenery. He took out his phone and pressed a speed-dial number. "Hyuuga Shisui. (3)" The person answered.

"Hey Shisui, it's Itachi. I need a favor."

"Go on."

"You know Neji, right?"

"My distant relative and that person you've had a crush on for oh-so-long?" Itachi could hear the snickers from the other end of the line, and rolled his eyes. Apparently Sasuke had gotten to Shisui too.

"Yes, Shisui, _that_ Neji. The one that gives you breakfast all the time when you stop in at his business."

The snickering stopped. "So it's serious?"

"Yes. Orochimaru's been hassling him again, and I'd feel better if there were ANBU guards posted around his apartment and business at all times."

"…This isn't a request, is it?"

"No, Shisui. It's not. But you don't have anything else to do, do you? And besides, you'll get good food. Just don't Neji know that you're guarding him. He won't like it."

"Ah. _Ah._"

"Don't you say _anything…_"

"I won't! But it's _sweet_ how you're doing this." Itachi made no response, just hung up with a sigh. This affection for Neji was really going to ruin his reputation, wasn't it? No matter, he could always do something to get it back up again.

-----

Neji turned to the window. It was around eight o'clock now, but the sky was still light. He had been stuck in his office doing paperwork after Itachi left, since there was a lot to fill out for Sasuke and Naruto's marriage. It was how the Konoha government showed their disapproval for gay marriages, he supposed. They couldn't ban it altogether, since many of the important people in Konoha were gay or at least not entirely heterosexual, but they could certainly make it tedious. Neji stretched, glad to be finished with looking at very small print.

He gathered up all the papers, straightened them so they made a neat pile, and paper-clipped them together, scribbling a note for Haku, telling him to send it to City Hall tomorrow. Neji was too lazy to do it now. He got up and went outside, dropping the stack of papers onto Haku's desk. Normally his secretary would still be here, but today was Haku and Zabuza's anniversary, and Neji had let them out early.

"Oy, Shika! Are you there?" Neji looked around for the lazy genius and found him in front of the door that led to the vaults, lightly dozing. Neji then proceeded to poke him. It was the only thing that could wake him up, after all. There was a mumble, before Shikamaru woke enough to speak in complete sentences.

"Whas th' matt'r, Neji?"

Neji smiled. "Time to leave, Shika. Just drive back to your house and then you can continue sleeping, ok?"

Shikamaru struggled to stand, and Neji lent a hand to pull him up. "Seriously, I have no idea why you should want to sleep so much of the time. It's not as if you have someone to actually keep you up at night." Neji teased.

"Hmph. Why would I want someone anyways? It'd be too…" He yawned. "…troublesome."

"Someday, Shika, you'll find out that troublesome isn't always bad."

"Keep dreaming, Neji."

"Hmm." Neji agreed. "And I'll see you tomorrow, Shika." He clapped the other on his back, both as a friendly gesture and as a push toward the door. Without it, Shikamaru probably would have gone back to sleep.

After Shika closed the door, Neji was about to lock it when his cell phone rang. "Hyuuga Neji." he answered.

"Hey Nej', it's Kiba. Your raccoon Shukaku just woke up."

"Is he ok?"

"Oh yeah. He's thriving despite his broken ribs. He's very…uh, feisty, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. What did he do?" Neji asked, interested.

"He almost ripped up my hand when he first woke up. And my sister's thoroughly enchanted with him. She views feistiness as a virtue, you know."

"Uh huh. Should I come pick him up now?"

"Yeah, sure. He's just itching to see you too, you know. Just about ready to run out of here…" Neji grabbed his keys and ran out of his business after locking up behind him.

"I'm coming," he replied, and hung up. Neji sprinted the block that separated his business and Kiba's vet, running into the animal hospital with the same amount of force as this morning. Kiba apparently had anticipated this, since he was in the waiting room, holding Shukaku in his hands. His dog, Akamaru, was sitting on the ground beside him, looking somewhat…jealous. And Neji noted with some amusement the new bandages on Kiba's hands, undoubtedly from Shukaku's 'feistiness'.

_Neji!!_

Neji laughed at Shukaku's excitement and practically bounded to Kiba, who gladly relinquished the raccoon. Neji rained kisses down on Shukaku's body gingerly, careful not to squeeze the little body in his hands. There were bandages wrapped all around Shukaku, and Neji asked worriedly, "Are you all right?"

He sat down beside Kiba on a chair and let Shukaku sit on his legs. _Yeah, I'm fine._

"What, really?"

Kiba coughed to make his presence be known again. "He began to make a miraculous recovery physically once he heard you were safe from Orochimaru. It really isn't natural within normal animals, so I'm assuming it's a heart thing?"

"I'm not sure, actually." Neji replied. "Nothing like this has happened before. But I suppose it is possible. So is he completely recovered?"

Kiba nodded. "I think so, though I kept the bandages and splints on just in case. Don't let him run or do anything very strenuous for a few days or so, and come back then. I'll take another x-ray, just to make sure of his health, and give him a check-up."

"Thanks, Kiba. I owe you one."

Kiba grinned. "No prob, Nej'. It was fun taking care of Shukaku anyways. Bring him back to see me sometime."

"Sure thing. Are you closing up now?"

"Eh, probably." Kiba stretched and yawned. "It's been a long day. I'll just turn off the lights, lock up and go to bed, I guess."

"Yeah, I think I will too. See ya later, Kiba."

Kiba waved a hand in goodbye as he flicked off the lights. "Bye Nej'."

Neji let the door swing shut behind him, hearing Kiba lock it behind him. He still held Shukaku in his arms, and now he walked slowly, enjoying the night air. The sun had completely set while he had been talking with Kiba, though the sky was still a deep blue or a deep violet, and the street lights weren't on yet. It was a beautiful summer night.

Neji felt Shukaku snuggle against him, and chuckled.

"Miss me?" he teased.

_Dreadfully._ The raccoon replied, also teasing. _I ached for your presence throughout the day. _

"Hmm…" Neji smiled and stopped in the middle of the sidewalk in the dim light to raise Shukaku up to his face. He kissed the raccoon again on the nose, and said, "I missed you too."

When he lowered the raccoon, Neji saw someone before him, a dark shape in the inky dusk. He felt disturbed, wondering who could have moved so quickly and yet so silently on a regular basis. Neji let his Byakugan flare into life, knowing it was probably just his paranoia. It probably wouldn't turn out to be anything, but he wanted to check anyways. What he saw made him frown.

Despite the fact that the person was still unmoving, his heart was definitely excited and tense. His emotions were running rampant, and there was definitely a streak of bloodlust within him. Neji took a step back, now wary, and at that moment, the person before him attacked.

Neji jumped back at the sudden movement, and his Byakugan stopped examining the person's intentions, instead returning to the outside surroundings so Neji could see into the darkness. The person before him was swathed in ominous black and…held a knife in his hands. Neji could also see a variety of other sharp things on his person, and assessed the situation quickly.

This was probably an assassin. And even though this seemed to be one of the numerous mercenary assassins throughout Konoha, whose services were bought easily with the right amount of money, Neji could make a good guess as to who the buyer was.

Orochimaru.

All this was thought in a second, and in the next moment Neji was distracted, for the assassin was making his move once again. He wasn't moving that quickly, probably thinking that Neji couldn't see into the dark and that the silence of his movements would be enough to shield him. He was wrong, and Neji used this to his advantage.

He stood still, looking to all eyes to be bewildered. Neji waited until the assassin was close enough (just how stupid was this mercenary? Orochimaru should have told him about the Byakugan and its properties), and then his leg snapped out silently, catching the assassin in the stomach. To his credit, the assassin just jumped back, now much more wary of his opponent. There didn't seem to be much damage done, but Neji was afraid to do more, especially with the weapons his opponent had. His greatest disadvantage was that he was holding Shukaku in his hands, and he didn't dare set the raccoon down, for if the assassin was from Orochimaru, his goal was probably to capture Shukaku along with to kill Neji.

And Neji couldn't let that happen. His first goal was to protect Shukaku.

_I don't need protecting…_ Shukaku said, mirroring his statement from this morning. _I can fend for myself. _

"You cannot." Neji objected in a whisper. "And I will not endanger you. Just look at what happened this morning."

And they spoke no more as Neji's eyes picked out the assassin moving forward again. In a flash the assassin was before Neji, and Neji concentrated on the movement of the knife in his hands, worried, although he lashed out with his legs and elbows and whatever other body parts as well as he could while still dodging the sharp piece of metal. Neji had always been quick on his feet, a fact he was now thankful for as he moved around on the sidewalk, careful not to get backed into the wall or knocked onto the street.

Neji had scored a few strikes here and there when he decided that he should get this over quickly. Thinking quickly, he tossed Shukaku high up into the air. With those few precious seconds of having his hands free (he wanted to catch Shukaku in case the raccoon didn't land on his feet), Neji struck the assassin's neck hard with the edge of his hand, hard enough probably to break his neck if the assassin hadn't just moved that tiny little bit at the end (had he anticipated the attack or was he just lucky?). Still, the assassin fell unconscious, and Neji turned around in time to catch Shukaku in his arms, holding the raccoon to him.

"Are you ok?" he asked his little one.

_I should be asking you the same thing! _Shukaku screeched. _Neji, do you realize there's **blood** on your face?!?_

Neji touched his face hesitantly, and when his hand came back into his sight, there was indeed red on it. He winced. The knife must have nicked him (or gone a bit deeper) when he had taken out the assassin, but it was of no consequence now. The cut would heal, and Shukaku was safe…

But then Neji swayed on his feet. His mind scrambled for answers (he shouldn't _be _tired like this) but found none…unless, the knife!

_Neji. Neji! _Shukaku called, but got no answer as Neji tottered to the unconscious assassin. The brunette knelt down and looked around the assassin, finally finding the knife and holding it carefully by the handle. There was something coated on the metal, and it wasn't his blood…

Neji blinked once, blinked twice, and when his world cleared a little more, stared at the…bluish liquid on the knife. He sniffed it carefully and found it smelled of lemon and blood, though that could just be his own…

But still, that color, that smell! It…it couldn't be…

_Neji! NEJI!!_

-----

A/N: Wahahahahaha. Too many of my favorite authors have been doing this. And now I'm being a hypocrite with cliffhangers. -.- Whatever, I'll update sooner, because I want to write more. Anyways, that was my first fight scene, hopefully it didn't go too badly. I'm really insecure about this chapter…

No guns in this world. Just to clear that up. No guns. And just because I couldn't find a place in the actual fight to mention it, all of the businesses around Neji were closed, and besides, Neji didn't want the assassin to kill anyone else. That's why he didn't call for help or anything.

(1) Shameless advertising: I'm going to write a two-shot about Neji and Itachi's first meeting in college, hope you all read it. It's a bit of background for this. The first part should be out by now, if not in a few minutes.

(2) Hehe, more shameless advertising. There's sort of inside joke to this that you'll get after you read the background…

(3) Let's please pretend that this is right, since I just want to keep it at two Uchihas… (meaning, I'm too lazy to go back to change stuff, and before this I hadn't counted on Shisui actually showing up). So yes, I know Shisui is an Uchiha, but bear with me here.

**Next Chapter: **The answer to the cliffie, of course! Plus the start of GaaNeji, and no, this fic is not going to turn out to be an ItachiNeji. Though I really do like that pairing…

Let's see, what else do I have planned for the next chapter? Fluff. Demanding (and really cute) Shukaku. And no, I'm not killing off Neji this early.

Anyways, thanks for reading, hope you review, even if this poor author does not reply. I take all of it into consideration, though changes might come later. The email alerts say I've updated even when I'm just replacing a chapter, and I don't want to get all your hopes up and then smash them back down. And questions are welcomed too!

Love you all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not my creation, and has never been. I just write fanfiction.

**A/N:** My computer broke down again. It's being repaired and this is on my flash drive, and I'm typing on my mom's comp. I was really mad when that happened and I was forced to this...

Anyways, longest chapter yet (SEVENTEEN PAGES IN 8 POINT VERDANA). Sorry for the slow update. And I wonder...is this too dramatic and cliché? It seems like that to me.

**Warning: **Long and mostly plot, though the romance is coming. Some language, mentions of rape. And lots of POV switching. It's my first time trying something on this scale, so bear with me if it gets confusing.

**Last Chapter: **But still, that color, that smell! It…it couldn't be…

_Neji! NEJI!!_

-----

**Guardian of My Heart – Chapter 5**

"Orochimaru-sama."

The addressed opened his eyes, coming out of his meditation. "Yes, Kabuto?"

The white-haired man bowed before his benefactor, and said, "The assassin has succeeded. It's time for our part of the mission."

The smirk Orochimaru sported sent shivers up Kabuto's spine. Shivers of excitement. "Well then, why don't we get started?" Kabuto nodded and followed Orochimaru-sama to a special room of the mansion. Inside was a contraption stol – borrowed from Akatsuki headquarters. Well, it had been half-finished when they had borrowed it, and Kabuto had finished it on his own. Unlike general assumptions, he was not just a chemist. He also dabbled in other subjects in order to be of service to Orochimaru-sama.

The two of them sat in front of two suspicious-looking tubes, which were actually vacuums. The tubes went into the wall, and only Kabuto knew exactly what was behind it and how it reached the world of Tsukuyomi. Kabuto now concentrated within himself to bring out his heart, Iyaku, and watched him materialize as a white orb. He glanced across at Orochimaru-sama, and saw Manda in front of him, pitch black and almost writhing in excitement.

"Shall we?" Orochimaru-sama asked him, and Kabuto nodded, simultaneously pushing his glasses up his nose in order to hide his smile. He then flicked a switch on the wall, and as Iyaku and Manda were sucked into the vacuum and into the world of Tsukuyomi, both Orochimaru and Kabuto fell into semi-conscious trances, in order to look through their hearts' eyes.

-----

Neji dropped the knife, vision suddenly blurry. He moved away from the assassin and knife as best as he could without tripping over anything, before just dropping onto the ground as his legs collapsed. "Shukaku…"

_Yeah Neji? _

"This…is a love potion…will you help me?"

_Of course! _Shukaku replied, panicked. _How!?_

"This potion…it's separating Loveless from me…sending him to the world of Tsukuyomi…" Neji drew a ragged breath and closed his eyes, whispering to the little raccoon in his lap. The only one that could help him… "Humans can't get there easily, and Loveless is unprotected…NO!" Neji screamed, trying to keep Loveless in his body long enough to tell Shukaku what he needed to do.

With a few more deep breaths, Neji went on. "You need to go to Tsukuyomi and find Loveless. I don't know how, but…if Orochimaru gets him…" Tears were springing out of Neji's eyes from the strain of opposing the love potion. "I'll kill myself. I swear I'll kill myself before I fall in love with _him_…"

He could feel the vortex surrounding Loveless. He could feel his heart leaving… "When I fall unconscious, dive into my chest and after Loveless. Please, Shukaku…"

_Of course, Neji, of course…_

Shukaku watched as Neji went limp above him, and jumped toward Neji's chest, where his heart was contained…Shukaku stayed calm as he disappeared into Neji and was sucked into…something. Pitch black darkness. A moment later he was dropped onto hard ground, and Shukaku opened his eyes (when had he closed them?). The first thing he noticed about this world was the red moon in the sky, highlighting everything with the chilling tint of blood. He shuddered, and then looked about himself.

The landscape was…familiar. It was the same street Shukaku had just left, and the small raccoon could even see Neji, slumped over on the sidewalk. And beside Neji…was another Neji, though this one looked somewhat transparent and distraught, leaning over his twin and trying to wake him up.

_Loveless? _The standing Neji spun around, afraid, and then his eyes widened.

"G-Gaara?"

_What? No, I'm Shukaku…_ Shukaku started walking and got a surprise – he was standing on two legs. He looked down, and got an even bigger surprise. He was…human. Shukaku touched his face experimentally and felt human features, and the strand of hair he tugged before his eyes was red. He glanced at the window of a nearby shop and almost jumped out of his skin…he looked like Gaara. Neji hadn't told him about this…

The uncomfortable new sense of balance of standing on two legs scared Shukaku a little, but he walked forward, arms held out.

_Loveless, come with me. We need to go. _Who knew when Orochimaru would show up? Shukaku frowned though as Loveless cowered against Neji, trying to hide.

"No…you're going to hurt me, like Gaara hurt Neji."

_When? _Shukaku walked forward a little more, close enough to stretch out a hand and cup Loveless's cheek. _When did he hurt Neji? _

Loveless shuddered but didn't pull away. "Yesterday…" he answered slowly. "Yesterday, when Neji called him to tell him about how Orochimaru had thrown you against a wall. He grew angry when Neji told him he had been keeping you miserable through all his life, and he…he…"

_I can imagine. _Shukaku said dryly. And then he sighed. _ Gaara is just like that, Loveless. He doesn't like showing his weaknesses, so he hurts the people who find them. _The raccoon-in-human-form moved closer to Loveless, actually embracing the other heart. _But I won't hurt you, Loveless. We need to go, because Orochimaru will come looking for you soon. _Shukaku looked around worriedly. _You can't get back into Neji? _

Loveless shook his head. "I've tried, but I can't, and he isn't waking up."

_Ah. Then…we should… _Shukaku frowned. The only person he could think of to turn to was Gaara. Itachi or Naruto would have been better, but Shukaku had no idea where they would be. Though he had figured out that Tsukuyomi was just like the real world, with the same features as in the real Konoha, he still had no idea where any of Neji's friends were. The only reason Shukaku could still find Gaara in this world was that…he was linked to Gaara, and would always know where the other was, even with their much weakened connection.

So Gaara was the only choice, but Shukaku still hesitated. Gaara…right now, there was no love lost between him and Neji. And there was no guarantee at all that the situation between them would change. Shukaku desperately wanted Neji to be happy. He had done so much good for hearts everywhere, and cared so much for everyone. Neji deserved to be happy, and Shukaku wasn't sure if Gaara could make him happy. Still…Neji had more chance of happiness with Gaara than with Orochimaru. And Shukaku was Gaara's heart. He could convince Gaara to give Neji a chance.

"Shukaku?"

Shukaku shook himself out of his thoughts. _Yes? _

"Look behind you…" Shukaku realized Loveless was shaking again, and as he turned, he realized why.

Across the street was Orochimaru in all his sliminess, along with another man, with white hair (though he didn't _look _that old) and glasses.

"Shukaku…" Loveless whimpered, his opaque white eyes shining with tears. "Save me…if they get me, I know they'll rape me…"

_Shh, shh. _Shukaku whispered, although he felt their intent too. _Don't worry, I'll protect you. We're going to leave Neji here, ok? They don't want him, they want you. And we're going to get you to safety…_

Loveless nodded, and Shukaku hugged him a little tighter, before turning to Orochimaru's heart. _Let us through._ He demanded.

The smile on that snake bastard's face was just as real as ever. "Why, Shukaku-kun, it's so nice to see you. Why the rush? We haven't even introduced ourselves. My name is Manda, and my friend here is Iyaku."

_Go. Away. _

"So demanding, aren't you, Shukaku-kun? Don't you want to play with us? We want to play with you…" They moved forward, and Loveless whimpered again. Shukaku glared, giving them one last warning, before he lashed out. Hearts fought differently from humans. They had the option of fighting like their persons fought, but they could also fight with their own ninjutsu, magic, if you preferred the word, and the strength of their ninjutsu depended on the strength of the heart, which produced the chakra the ninjutsu was based on. And although Shukaku had never done this before, he knew instinctively what to do.

With a wave of his hand sand rose up around him and Loveless, and with another wave it flew at Manda and Iyaku. Shukaku watched as they jumped onto the roofs of the buildings around him, and clinging onto Loveless, he did too. It was surprisingly easy to jump up more than three stories, but Shukaku didn't question it. He had no time.

_Loveless, keep track of Iyaku, ok? I need you to be the eyes at the back of my head…_

Shukaku felt Loveless nod, his hair tickling the back of Shukaku's neck. Reassured, he focused on Manda, who was right across from him, and sand flew up again, tinted red by the moonlight. Manda did something and swords flew out of his mouth (were they formed from his tongue? That's what it looked like…) and they sliced through the sand, flying towards Shukaku. Shukaku glared and sand enveloped the swords, dulling their edges and pushing them down towards the ground. They dropped, but the swords kept coming from all directions, keeping Shukaku busy.

Meanwhile, Loveless had activated his Byakugan, and was looking around for Iyaku. He found the other in a moment, watching as the other stealthily scaled the walls of the building they were standing on.

"Shukaku." Loveless whispered. "Iyaku is climbing up to us. We need to move."

Shukaku nodded curtly, telling him, _Hang on to me tight, ok? We're going to go to Gaara…_

"Gaara?" Loveless squeaked. "No! He'll…I don't like him, and neither does Neji. I don't want to go…" He shook his head like a frightened child, and Shukaku knew he had to be gentle with him.

_He isn't as bad as he seems, Loveless. _Shukaku stroked Loveless's hair slowly, all the while making sure his sand was still doing its work. _If he was, Naruto wouldn't be friends with him, would he? _

"No…" Loveless admitted. "But he's always so emotionless! So scary!"

_I know, Loveless. But Gaara's just defensive. He doesn't like showing his emotions. But Loveless… _Shukaku made sure to look into Loveless's eyes. _You know I'm Gaara's heart. You know that I'm what he's really like. Do you trust me? _

Loveless hesitated, but finally nodded. "I do."

_And do you think, someday, that you could love me? _Shukaku knew this was a stretch, but he needed Loveless to come with him willingly. He needed Loveless to realize that there was a chance for Neji and Gaara.

A longer pause, but Loveless nodded once more. "Neji really likes you, and you care for him so much…and you'd never…rape me like Orochimaru's Manda would…"

Shukaku hugged him again, saying, _I care for you, Loveless. Even if you think that nobody could love you, I think I could. And…if we could love each other, then Neji and Gaara could love each other too, don't you think? _

"I…I suppose…" Loveless didn't seem that sure, but Shukaku could see he was reassured by his logic. "And-" But Loveless didn't get to finish his sentence. Iyaku had made it over the roof while they were talking, and before Shukaku could react Iyaku had shot something at Loveless. Shukaku saw the dart go in Loveless's neck, and felt Loveless go limp in his arms. He immediately pulled the dart out, but nothing changed. For an instant, Shukaku's eyes flickered red, but Iyaku did not notice. He just smirked, and Shukaku found out why as he felt a blade at the back of his neck. Manda had used his distracted state to his advantage.

"Shukaku-kun," Manda crooned from behind him, voice as deadly as it was sickly sweet. "Will you cooperate with us now? There's no chance for you to survive if you resist us, and if you give up Loveless without a struggle, we won't make you watch as we torture and rape your little crush. Because…you do like him, don't you?"

There was a little laugh. "Perhaps you want to…dominate him? That's the way it works with all love potions, you know. It releases hearts into this…Heartless world," Another laugh. "And it allows us to dominate other hearts, before we bring them back to our persons. I'll admit that my way of domination is a bit unusual, but we get to experience the carnal pleasures of life. Our persons are so selfish, don't you think? And so naïve…to think that we would stay innocent? To expect us to give up sex, and lust, and stick with _love _so faithfully."

Manda stopped for an instant, considering something. "Hyuuga Neji's heart is named Loveless, am I correct?" Shukaku did not give an answer, and Manda laughed once more. "Well, I might not give him any love, but I'll guarantee that Loveless will be screaming with pleasure once I'm done with him." He licked his lips. Shukaku stiffened. "Can't you just imagine it?" Manda asked him softly, and smiled cruelly when Shukaku only hugged Loveless tighter.

"Well, I suppose you can't," Manda went on, "but I assure you it is a beautiful sight, when I send someone to orgasm. Tears on their pained faces, blood leaking out of their violated entrances…and yet they can't help but moan, because I just took their virginity, and they feel _so good_. If _you_ want to experience it, Shukaku-kun, I'm sure Iyaku will oblige and satisfy you."

Shukaku still kept silent.

"No? Then Shukaku-kun, will you please hand over Loveless now?" The sword-edge bit deeper into Shukaku's tender neck. "I'd hate to kill you right now, and I advise you not to force me to, Shukaku-kun."

_You disgust me. _Shukaku finally answered. _I will never let you get your dirty hands on Loveless or Neji._

Manda smirked. "Then this is goodbye, Shukaku-kun." As he prepared to slaughter the redhead, something unexpected happened. Manda was blown back off the rooftop by what felt like an explosion, as Iyaku was too. When they recovered and sat up again on their respective landing places, they saw on the rooftop a huge sand-colored raccoon, silhouetted by the blood red moon. His eyes as he paced upon the rooftop were crimson, and it was truly a terrifying sight, combined with the raw power that was rolling off him in waves.

_If either of you two come after me, _Shukaku warned, _I will kill you. _

That said, he buried both Iyaku and Manda under massive piles of sand, the impact of which knocked them both unconscious. Shukaku then looked around for Loveless and found him settled on his back, cushioned by his fur. Shukaku called upon his sand again, shaping it into a net that he stretched across Loveless and his fur, so that Loveless wouldn't fall off.

That taken care of, Shukaku bounded off across the rooftops, aiming for the skyscrapers of downtown Konoha. Gaara's apartment building was also in downtown, where the redheaded insomniac currently was, sleeping on one of the rare nights he actually could. Shukaku hoped that when they reached Gaara, he and Loveless would be able to get back into the real world once more, and that he would be able to convince Gaara to go through with this love potion thing. He would put off all problems till then, Shukaku decided. Right now all he needed to do was to reach the apartment building. That was all…

-----

Shisui activated his Byakugan, looked up and down the street, and cursed fluently. He had been lazy. He had slacked off. And worst of all, he had underestimated the enemy. He ran down the street silently, coming to a stop at the unconscious bodies of Neji and someone else, presumably an assassin.

Shisui bent down immediately and checked for Neji's pulse. It wasn't there. He told himself to stop panicking – Neji could still be alive, since the only wound he could see was a scratch on his cheek. So he got out a small mirror from his pack and held it under Neji's nose. It fogged up, and Shisui breathed a small sigh of relief. Neji was still breathing. He was still alive. Itachi wouldn't kill him just yet…

But then he thought of something else. If Neji was still alive, but his heart wasn't in his body, then that could only mean one thing…

Shisui glanced around as he put the mirror back into his bag, sharp eyes picking out a knife on the sidewalk, undoubtedly used in the scuffle between Neji and the assassin. He picked it up by the handle, careful not to touch any part of the blade itself. After examining it, he cursed again. Neji's blood was on the blade, along with another liquid he knew was a love potion. It had been named Mourning by its creator (though nobody quite knew who that creator was), and the black band that trapped the heart after the love potion was taken into the body did indeed make it look as if the heart was in mourning.

Mourning was one of the most powerful love potions, if not the most powerful, because of the interesting effect that the person taking the love potion had no memory of it afterwards. And Mourning could not just be used by anyone. This particular love potion separated the drinker's heart from its body, sent it to the world of Tsukuyomi and made sure the heart could not go back to its person. That was the first action. But then, the user (not the drinker) of the love potion had to send his or her own heart into Tsukuyomi, where it had to find the drinker's heart and dominate it in some way.

Shisui knew the 'dominating' differed from heart to heart. Some preferred to fight the other heart and win, while others preferred to convince the other heart to follow them to their person. Either worked, though the second usually needed the two hearts (and therefore the two persons) to be acquainted with each other.

And with this unique potion, since the user needed to be able to send their heart to Tsukuyomi, the users were traditionally limited to Uchihas and Hyuugas. This could mean one of three things: one, that an actual Hyuuga or Uchiha was doing this. Two, that Orochimaru had kidnapped a Hyuuga or Uchiha and was forcing them to transport his heart into Tsukuyomi in order to do this. Or three, that Orochimaru had figured out how to get into Tsukuyomi. None of those three prospects looked very good to Shisui.

But right now, he needed to do something. Shisui grabbed his cell phone to call Itachi, but then he hesitated. The Uchiha wouldn't appreciate being interrupted…but then, if he found out that Neji had been in trouble and Shisui _hadn't_ called him, then he would appreciate it even less. Well then.

Shisui dialed Itachi's number quickly, listening to it ring and praying that the Uchiha would pick up. He did. "Uchiha Itachi." He said curtly.

"Itachi, it's Shisui. Neji's in trouble, might be caught in a love potion of Orochimaru's. Get over to his business as soon as possible, I'll leave the door unlocked for you. I'm going after his heart in Tsukuyomi after this, it's only been a few minutes and I hope to interfere before Orochimaru gets there. The snake bastard used Mourning, so we still have a chance. Get over here."

There was silence from the other line, before, "I'll be there." And then he hung up. Shisui sighed.

Yes, there was still a chance, as he had told Itachi. Because of Mourning's particular qualities, if he could get into Tsukuyomi quickly enough, he could defeat Orochimaru and get Neji to 'fall in love' with him, or Itachi. That meant that Neji's heart would be safe, and Orochimaru's plans would be thwarted. Unless…as Shisui carried the unconscious Neji back to his business, he thought about what Orochimaru was trying to do. The snake bastard's ultimate goal in this would be to get rid of Neji's business, which opposed his own.

He could do this in a number of ways. Orochimaru could, of course, succeed with Mourning, and Neji would be in love with him. Using this love, Orochimaru could easily topple Neji's business. But then, Orochimaru's plan would also work if Neji were to die. And Neji would want to die after being infected with a love potion, except that…he wouldn't remember it afterwards. That was one loose end taken care of. Would Hiashi-sama feel obligated to kill Neji? Shisui briefly stopped and touched a hand to Neji's forehead, wondering if Neji had undergone the seal yet. He sensed the chakra pattern under Neji's skin and cursed. It would've been fresh too, considering Neji's 25th birthday was just next week. This timing could not have just been simple coincidence.

Although the curse seal on Neji's forehead (and on Shisui's too) was not talked about among Hyuuga family members, the practice was not made a secret, and there were a number of sources Orochimaru could have gotten the information from.

Shisui groaned with despair; Orochimaru's plan was unfolding now, and Shisui could see that it was almost a win-win situation for the snake bastard. If Mourning worked in his favor – Orochimaru won. If he or Itachi interfered, Orochimaru counted on the Hyuuga curse seal, for Hiashi-sama to kill Neji. But Hiashi-sama wouldn't do that, would he? Not unless Neji pressed him…and if Neji lost his memory…

Shisui took a deep breath as he carried Neji into his business. There was a solution to this problem. A temporary solution, but a solution nevertheless. Shisui looked around in the dark (didn't matter with the Byakugan) and located the door to Neji's office, going in. After laying Neji down on the floor, and sat down next to him and tried to think logically.

What did he need to do? Which situation would help Neji the most? For one, Orochimaru couldn't get ahold of Neji through Mourning. For two, in order to side-step the curse seal, Shisui needed to get Hiashi-sama to agree to let Neji live, and he also needed to keep the truth of the love potion from Neji when he woke up, or Neji would insist on getting killed, like…like his father Hyuuga Hizashi had. Shisui thought it was tragic, how Neji was now suffering the same fate his father had, though hopefully not with the same end.

But he needed to act now. Shisui called out his heart, Sparrow, and sent him into Tsukuyomi. Being a Hyuuga with the Byakugan, that was the limit of his abilities. The Uchiha Sharingan could send physical bodies along with other hearts into Tsukuyomi, but the Byakugan was limited to one's own heart. It was enough.

Sparrow dropped to the floor of the office silently, immediately running out. He had no time to waste. Outside, he saw a peculiar thing. Two huge piles of sand were crowding the street, and Sparrow saw, in the distance, a…raccoon. Leaping from roof to roof.

And on its back…there was a glimpse of black hair and a white kimono, one that the physical Neji had been wearing. And since hearts in Tsukuyomi retained the clothes their physical persons wore in the real Konoha…Sparrow didn't know who or WHAT that raccoon was (at least he knew it wasn't Orochimaru, though it could've been one of his 'employees'), but he had Loveless, and Sparrow was not letting him get away. He jumped up onto the nearest rooftop and took off into the distance. The blood moon looked down at the unfolding drama with emotionless light.

-----

Itachi hung up on Shisui and slipped his phone into his pocket before turning around. He had just been about to start a meeting with some of his most important business associates, but he had to do something about Neji's situation. If Orochimaru had gotten ahold of him…

Unknown to Itachi, his Sharingan had appeared over the course of the phone call from Shisui, and his associates were struggling not to hide from his gaze.

Itachi smiled thinly. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to postpone this meeting for another time, perhaps sometime next week. Are there any objections?" This was said in an icy tone that allowed for no objections whatsoever, and everybody abruptly got up and meekly strode out of the room. Itachi followed them, entertaining for a moment what would happen if he were to jump out the window. Yes, they were on the top floor of the Uchiha Corporation building, but Itachi had always been like a cat. He always landed on his feet, and jumping straight down would definitely be quicker than taking the elevator.

He sighed, rejecting the impulsive idea. It was pure stupidity to think like this, but he sincerely wanted to get to Neji as quick as he could. Itachi got into the elevator and tried to will the metal box to move faster, but the seconds crawled by as slowly as ever. Itachi rushed out of the elevator when it finally descended to the right floor and ran to his car, speeding out of the underground garage.

He skillfully managed through the traffic, and only once during the drive did he get distracted. He had still been in the downtown area, though on the border of it, and it was an area known for tasteful but expensive apartments for the rich. There was just a feeling, above him – he sensed something rushing above him, something huge, and for a moment as he stopped for the red light, he could feel a strong wind rushing by his face.

But then he looked up, and nothing was there. The night was windless, and besides, the windows weren't open, and Itachi wondered if a combination of stress and anger had made him imagine it. But he forgot about it as soon as the light turned green.

-----

Shukaku launched upwards again, towards another roof as he made his way towards Gaara. He was almost there – in the right neighborhood already, and Shukaku could even see the apartment building in the distance. He didn't know what had happened to Manda and Iyaku (hopefully both were still trapped under all that sand), but there wasn't anyone following him.

…Was there?

Shukaku stopped on the roof he was on, sniffing the air around him. He still had the senses of a raccoon, even as a heart, and there was the distinct scent of another heart behind him, though the other was obviously trying to be stealthy, seeing as how Shukaku hadn't heard the other before this.

The raccoon jumped onto another roof, debating his options. He could confront the follower, or he could continue pretending that he hadn't noticed the other and hope that he made it to Gaara in time. Well, Gaara was never one for turning his back on a fight, and neither was Shukaku. The raccoon whirled around on the roof of a sizable building, identifying the small human heart a few roofs away.

_Who are you! _he snarled.

Sparrow stopped in his tracks, startled by the direct confrontation. He had thought that the raccoon wouldn't have been able to sense him. He had masked all his chakra, and besides, the raccoon's chakra was coming out in such massive amounts that his chakra would have been hidden inside. He had also been silent in his movements; Shisui couldn't figure out what had given him away. But he straightened up from his crouch and gazed directly into the raccoon's red eyes. Devilish red eyes…

"I am Sparrow." he replied.

_And who is your person? _

"Someone you have no acquaintance with, I'm sure. Now, I would like for you to give up the heart on your back, if you please?"

Shukaku narrowed his eyes. _I have no intention of doing so, thank you. _

"Ah, well then, I will have to take Loveless from you forcefully, won't I?"

_Just you try._ Shukaku settled into a crouch, readying his sand. Sparrow didn't wait another second. He leapt from roof to roof, his speed so fast that Shukaku couldn't keep track of him. But his sand still could. When Sparrow threw a barrage of kunai at him, the sand intercepted it before moving on to the thrower.

Sparrow narrowed his Byakugan. What was all this sand? He had never seen a heart that fought like this, though he had also never seen a heart whose true form was like this…

Sparrow jumped back as a wave of sand came towards him, knowing that if it touched him the fight would be lost. Well, at least this explained the sand back at Neji's business, though Sparrow wondered who the raccoon had been fighting then.

Shukaku tried to keep his eyes fixed on Sparrow, though it was unnecessary, since his sand did all the work for him. As he watched the other man, he noticed his Byakugan. So this was heart of a member of the Hyuuga clan? That's what it seemed, and normally Shukaku would stop fighting immediately, knowing this was probably Neji's friend along with his family member. But what if…what if they knew that Neji had taken the love potion, and was here to collect Loveless and kill both him and Neji? Shukaku couldn't take that chance. He had to defeat this Hyuuga.

The raccoon saw the way Sparrow dodged the sand that flew at him. He would jump back, undoubtedly checking that there was nothing behind him first. But the brief moments that he was suspended in air he was helpless, and that was his weak point. Shukaku sent another trail of sand out, this one creeping through the streets, and waited for the other heart to jump again.

Sparrow dodged the blasted sand again but found himself in a precarious position. Behind him he could see another wave of sand just rising up, almost looking like a cushion of safety to break his fall, but Sparrow knew it was not. It was rising up to kill him…the heart closed his eyes and focused on his chakra, pushing it to fill each pore of his skin. He didn't know if it would work, but he had to try.

Shukaku cursed as his plan failed. Sparrow had…done something (with his chakra or something?), and his sand had been repelled, also giving himself a nasty shock. And now Sparrow was using his new-found ability to attack back at the sand, no longer afraid of the consequences. Shukaku growled. He needed to find some other way to catch the other.

Sparrow knew he had gotten the upper hand now. He could fight back, and his chakra supply wasn't running out anytime soon. He glanced around, looking for the raccoon, and found him, standing still and glaring. Sparrow let a little smirk adorn his features as he changed his path, fighting towards the heart rather than just the sand. More sand rose to defend their user, of course, but Sparrow fought through it easily. He was almost there…almost to Loveless…

Sparrow crashed through the last of the raccoon's defenses and openly attacked the huge animal, only to become weak and defenseless the moment he touched the other. What…what was this? His chakra supply was gone, drained, and this animal…the heart before him had an awesome power he couldn't match. Had he just taken his chakra away? It was strange, but the other didn't seem to be aware of his ability. Sparrow had fallen to his knees a few seconds before and now glanced up at the other slowly, meeting a suspicious gaze. It was as if the raccoon was wondering whether he was faking this or not.

As the Byakugan faded from Sparrow's eyes, he knew he was done for. Keeping the Byakugan active had become like second nature to him, and only when all of his chakra was gone, like now, did the special eyes of the Hyuuga clan disappear from him. He fell unconscious a second later.

Shukaku carefully picked up the heart beneath him in a huge paw. He didn't know what had happened, or how it had (it seemed like Sparrow had just passed out on touching him), but Sparrow could not do anything to hurt him or Loveless now. The raccoon wondered what he should do now, when a soft voice penetrated the silence.

"Shukaku, let him down."

-----

Itachi went through the door (locking it afterwards) and into Neji's business building, looking around for Shisui. He found him (and Neji) a moment later in Neji's office, both bodies with no pulse but still alive. Well, it was apparent where their hearts had gone. Kitai came through the wall a moment later, drawn by Itachi's presence. He took in Neji and Shisui, and gasped.

**I…I didn't realize this had happened. **He offered in apology to Itachi.

"It's fine. We need to go." And with that, his Sharingan flared and the two of them were transported to Tsukuyomi, Itachi's body disappearing along with Kitai.

They reappeared back in Neji's office, this time in the world of the blood red moon, and now Kitai showed his true form, mirroring that of Itachi's. They filed through the doors quickly, walking out onto the street. A quick flick of their identical eyes and they took in the situation, settling down into attack stances. Orochimaru and Kabuto (or really their hearts) had just clawed their way up through the sand, and Itachi sighed in relief, knowing Loveless had gotten away for now.

**It must've been Shukaku. He must've saved Neji. **

Itachi nodded in agreement, and knew that now his and Kitai's job would just be to stop these two. He supposed he would have to trust Shukaku's judgment, along with Shisui's, since the two should have met by now. They would get Loveless to where it would be the safest, and they would make sure Neji would fall in love with someone good. All Itachi had to do was to make sure Orochimaru wouldn't interfere any more.

-----

_Loveless? _Shukaku questioned, and knew it to be true. He could feel the slight struggling on his back, and ordered the sand to release its hold. They sand obeyed, and Shukaku felt Loveless slide down his fur. He twitched and tried not to move too much, feeling as if someone was petting him. It felt nice. Shukaku made sure Loveless landed in a small pile of soft sand, and turned around to face him when he did.

"Shukaku, let Sparrow down." Shukaku looked at the human heart he was holding in his paw, and did as Loveless asked. He placed Sparrow on another pile of his sand, and watched as Loveless walked over to the other.

_Who is he? _Shukaku asked.

"A heart of a beloved cousin who's in the ANBU."

_Oh. I…thought he was an enemy. Sorry… _

Loveless looked up and smiled. "It's fine. I can't believe you could defeat him, you know? Shisui, Sparrow's person, is pretty powerful. How did you do it?"

_I'm not sure. He just…passed out. _

"Strange. But I'm glad that you're protecting me, Shukaku." Loveless smiled again and Shukaku watched as he smoothed Sparrow's brow, sending some sort of healing chakra into the other. Some of it leaked into his sand, and Shukaku tingled with a blissful sensation. He cooed in his mind as he relaxed, and in a moment he was back in human form.

Loveless glanced over and blinked. "Oh. You're back to Gaara form. I liked your other one better."

_You did? _

"Yeah." Shukaku thought he would have said more, but just then Sparrow stirred. "Are you feeling all right?" Loveless asked him.

"I…think so." Sparrow blinked his Hyuuga eyes and stared up at the concerned Loveless. Another figure caught his eye, and Sparrow turned a little, though he didn't need to. His Byakugan was sparking to life again, and his vision covered almost all 360 degrees. The other figure confused him a little. He recognized him, of course. Sabaku Gaara was very famous in Konoha, and Sparrow could conclude that this was Sabaku Gaara's heart. But what was _he _doing here? And where was that raccoon? "Where's the raccoon?" he blurted out.

"Shukaku? There." And Loveless pointed to Sabaku Gaara's heart.

"But, but-" Sparrow protested. "Why isn't he running off with you to Orochimaru?"

"Because he wasn't trying to hurt me before. Shukaku was trying to protect me from, well, you. And…" Loveless turned to Shukaku. "What happened with Orochimaru, and how _did _you get that other form of yours? In Tsukuyomi, hearts can only take on their true forms, so…that must mean you have two true forms? I've never heard of that, have you, Sparrow?"

Sparrow sat up and shook his head. "And I don't think anybody else has, either. Not in the ANBU, not in the Akatsuki, not anywhere else. But we should get going, shouldn't we?"

_Yeah, I agree. I buried Manda and Iyaku, Orochimaru and his henchman's hearts, with my sand, but they should be coming around soon. And as for my two forms, I don't know how it happened. I was just so angry, and I turned into a raccoon. _Shukaku shrugged. _I'm just me. All of these weird things you say are happening probably happen to Kyuubi as well, you know. _

"Who's Kyuubi?" Sparrow asked.

"Naruto's heart." Suddenly Loveless stopped talking, and the two other hearts could hear why. There were sounds of a fight back where Neji's business was, but suddenly it was over, and there was silence. They looked at each other, and Sparrow remarked, "Itachi. Shisui called him. Who do you think won?"

"It doesn't matter. We're going to Gaara." Loveless turned to Shukaku. "Can you turn back into your raccoon form?" Shukaku nodded and in a sudden he did.

But Sparrow listened on in consternation. "Gaara? Sabaku Gaara? You're going to him?"

Loveless glanced at Sparrow as he started climbing on Shukaku's back. "Yes. Is there a problem?"

"But…why him? Do you have a relationship with him or something? Do you even know him that well?"

"No, but Shukaku…he saved me, and…" Loveless trailed off. He didn't really have a reason he was going to Gaara, except for that Shukaku had been so nice and had convinced him that it was the right thing to do.

"Itachi would be better." Sparrow said. "Do you know how long he's loved you? Sasuke jokes about it all the time and I do too, but he really does love you. And he'd be better to fall in love with than someone who's almost a stranger, wouldn't he be?" Shukaku listened with apprehension, his ears twitching, but didn't interrupt. He knew Sparrow was right.

"I…I suppose." Loveless said, now sitting with his feet around the bottom of Shukaku's neck. It was the only place he could find any amount of purchase.

Sparrow nodded. "This will be good for both you and Neji, I know it. You'll be happy with Itachi, and he'll take care of you."

Loveless still wasn't very sure of this, and he leaned into Shukaku's thick fur, stroking it with one hand. Then he noticed Shukaku's twitchy ears, and asked, "What do you think, Shukaku?"

…_I think he's right, Loveless. If Itachi is bound to love you, then you should go to him and fall in love with him. It'd be better for you. I guess I just wanted to make Gaara happy, that's all…I wanted someone to love him like he wanted Naruto to love him. _

Shukaku's ears drooped in sadness, and even Sparrow felt a little sorry for him. He didn't know the whole story, but he knew Naruto was in a relationship with Itachi's brother, and that meant Gaara, who had seemed to like the blonde, had been rejected.

_It's fine. _Shukaku told the other two. _We need to go. Get on, Sparrow. _

"Wait." Loveless told Shukaku. "Sparrow, tell me this. How possible is it for Itachi to find a way to transport people into Tsukuyomi without Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Sparrow frowned. What did this have to do with anything? But he answered dutifully. "Not very possible, even with Itachi's genius. We still know very little about Tsukuyomi, if only because we only started researching a generation or two before, but still, there is a very slim chance that Itachi will figure out how to do such a thing. Hearts? Sure. I think he was already working on a machine to transport hearts into Tsukuyomi, somewhat like the machine you use to bring hearts out of their persons, but physical bodies are much more difficult. There's the chance of leaving a body part or the brain back in the real world, and that would be disastrous."

"Ah…" Loveless's eyes hardened with determination – he had made his decision. "Then we'll be going to Gaara. Even if I fell in love with Itachi…he would still have the duty of continuing on his clan."

"Then fall in love with me!" Sparrow interrupted. "It'd still be better than falling in love with Gaara!"

Loveless shook his head. "You don't need me, Sparrow. Shisui is happy enough on his own. But Gaara and Shukaku want, if not need, me, and I want to accomplish something with this love potion. If I have to fall in love right now, I might as well do something with it, shouldn't I? Come on, Sparrow, get on. We need to go."

Sparrow sighed in defeat and did as Loveless asked, climbing up Shukaku until he was sitting behind Loveless. And when they were both settled, Shukaku let his sand form a sort of padding behind the two, along with a seat belt. After making sure they weren't going to fall off, he started to run.

Sparrow decided the sensation of riding on a giant raccoon wasn't so bad. It was a tad bouncy, but Shukaku had taken a smooth stride, and was trying to make this as gentle as possible for the two riders.

_Hey you two? _

"Yeah?", "Yes Shukaku?", came the two responses.

_Can you tell me a bit more about love potions? I, well, Gaara always thought that it was straightforward. You drank the love potion, you fell in love with the one who gave it to you. So now I'm confused. What's this about Tsukuyomi and…dominating? Manda mentioned something about that._

"It's only with Mourning, since only Mourning sends hearts to Tsukuyomi. All the other love potions do as you described, basically. In Tsukuyomi, the heart has to be 'dominated' in order for the love potion to work. It's a small obstacle in order for one of the most powerful of all love potions to work, I suppose. If there were only bigger obstacles…" Sparrow shook himself out of his mood. "But this is ok. At least Neji isn't going to Orochimaru."

_And what can dominating consist of? Orochimaru's Manda was…raping the hearts. _

Sparrow bristled with rage. "My God, if only we could prove that, then Orochimaru would be shipped off to jail in an instant. It's against all laws constructed by the ANBU to do something like that, even without the love potion. Hearts…we're not supposed to do something like that." He shook his head. "I wonder how many hearts he's traumatized that way, and how long he's been able to send his heart to Tsukuyomi, But as for your question, besides what Orochimaru is doing, you 'dominated' Loveless by convincing him to go with you. Others can fight the other heart and win. It all depends."

_I see. And…Sparrow, what are those beings down there? And why aren't there any other people, or cars, or something?_

"What beings?" As Shukaku jumped over to another building, he glanced down, and Sparrow and Loveless glanced down with him. They saw several transparent (ghost-like?) humans, which they knew to be hearts. But these took no notice of anything else and drifted through buildings, looking lost and despairing.

"Oh, those beings? Those are the Heartless. Misnamed, of course, since they really are hearts, but they're looking for their other halves."

_Other halves?_

"The other half of their heart. It's...complicated. But they don't seem to see anything, or do anything, since they're always searching. And we don't know everything about Tsukuyomi, but apparently only hearts show up, with some exceptions, of course. Itachi can transport his body here, and for the three of us, our bodies show up because we're whole hearts and we're in Tsukuyomi. Something like that. We're not really sure. And as for the buildings, the ANBU believes that they anchor Tsukuyomi to the real world, and that we can't change anything, but if anything changes in the real world it would change in here too. It's an interesting theory, don't you think?"

_I guess. But you should get off now. I'm too big to squish into the street here, since it's not a major road, and Gaara's apartment is right across the street._

Loveless and Sparrow obliged, sliding off Shukaku's back (Shukaku shivered in delight at the sensation) and the raccoon changed back into human form. _Hey, can we keep our human forms when we get back to the real world? I think Gaara would believe us more if the two of you weren't...blobs._

"I agree." Loveless said. "And we can. It just takes a little chakra."

_Good. And we can get back, right?_

Sparrow nodded. "Since you're here, we can go through Gaara using his link to you, even though you two are separated. And I forgot to ask, how did you get here? You couldn't have gotten through Gaara, so..."

_I got through Neji._ Shukaku answered as they jumped off the building and landed on the sidewalk. _Loveless was just passing into Tsukuyomi, and Neji told me to go in after him. Is that normal?_

Loveless nodded. "I suppose it's very possible, at least. The draw of Mourning would be so strong that it'd take everything it could at that moment, especially since Neji held it back..."

They went inside the apartment building and up the elevator, Shukaku pressing the button for the 14th floor.

Once the elevator stopped and they got out, Sparrow and Loveless followed Shukaku to Gaara's apartment, the three of them opening the door quietly (Sparrow whispering to Shukaku that human locks didn't matter here).

Shukaku smiled as he went into Gaara's bedroom and saw the softly sleeping redhead. It was rare for anyone to see this side of Gaara, this small boy-child who rested so little.

"He's so…vulnerable." Loveless remarked. "Not at all like the Sabaku Gaara I've seen."

_I know. I wish everyone could see him like this, so that maybe less people would be afraid of him and more people would befriend him, but he considers it a weakness. _

"Did he purposefully become an insomniac?" Sparrow asked.

_No, but he refuses to take sleeping pills or any other sort of sleeping aide. Not that they'd help spectacularly, but at least he'd get a bit more sleep once in a while. But enough dawdling. How do we get through?_

Loveless held out his hand. "Take my hand, and dive into Gaara's chest. I know he looks solid enough, but you're his heart, and this should work." Shukaku saw that with his other hand Loveless had grasped onto Sparrow, and guessed that the two other hearts would follow him out just by being connected by physical touch.

_Ok. _Shukaku took Loveless's hand, and was about to go, when he thought of something. _Loveless, won't the love potion trap you inside Gaara the moment you go in? I've 'dominated' you already, and isn't that how it works?_

Loveless turned pale. "Oh. I hadn't thought of that. I'm pretty sure it would, so…" he moved to the end of their little line, and Sparrow took Shukaku's hand in his place. "If I do this the two of you should be fine. We'll just do this. Neji will fall in love with Gaara, and…"

Shukaku looked pained. He had planned on talking to Gaara first and seeing if there was a real chance for Neji and Loveless before letting the love potion affect Loveless. But now, he was committing Neji (and Loveless) to Gaara without even knowing if it would work. It wasn't a very good plan, Shukaku knew. But what could they do? If Manda was coming after them, they wouldn't have any time to think up another plan. They had to do this.

"Hey, Shukaku?" This time it was Sparrow speaking.

_Yeah?_

"If Loveless is going to disappear because of the love potion, then it'd be just the two of us in Gaara's bedroom, right?"

_Yes. _

Sparrow bit his lip in thought for a second before letting go of both Shukaku's and Loveless's hands. "You don't need me there, and if you're going to convince Gaara to love Neji, which you have to do, it'd be better if I wasn't there. I'm going out to find Itachi, or to stall Manda and Iyaku if necessary. I'll get back through Shisui, don't worry."

"Are you sure?" Loveless asked tentatively. "I don't want you to be hurt."

Sparrow gave the other heart a bright smile. "It's fine, Loveless. Just concentrate on yourself, hmm? And Shukaku, after you do this, be sure to talk to Shisui – drag Gaara to come with you, if possible. We need to tell you two some things about this situation, but I don't have the time to do so now. Good luck to you two." Shisui gave a final fond glance to Loveless and kissed him softly on the cheek before walking out of the room.

Loveless seemed frozen, staring at the door, and Shukaku tugged on his hand softly. _Loveless, we need to go. We need to get this done as soon as possible. _

Loveless turned his head and nodded. "I guess. This...this'll be the last time I'll be able to go outside Gaara, right?" He had such a stricken look on his face, and Shukaku's guilt deepened.

_Yeah, Loveless, it is, but even trapped inside Gaara, you'll be able to look out of his eyes. You'll be able to see Neji and Itachi and Shisui again, don't worry. And I'll even go into Gaara to keep you company, whenever I can. It'll be fine, Loveless._

The other heart smiled at Gaara. "You really think so?"

Shukaku nodded. _I do._

Loveless smiled back and took Shukaku's hand. "I trust you. Let's go."

-----

Neji stumbled through the darkness, crying and lost. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know how he had gotten here, just that he was here and nobody else was near him. There was darkness enveloping him, and he was scared, although he had never been scared of the dark before.

Just...this. He wanted to get away from this. And suddenly Neji stopped, his legs buckling. He looked down with tear-ridden eyes and found his body to be like a baby's again, the body he had been on the first day of his life. Neji looked up and found himself face-to-face with Hiashi-sama, except that it wasn't Hiashi-sama. He didn't know how he knew this, but even though the man before him looked exactly like Hiashi-sama, Neji realized that this was...his father.

Beside him was a woman, also endowed with the eyes of the Hyuuga family and a mirror of Neji's aunt, whom he had only seen once or twice. This was Keiko, his mother. Neji whimpered, finding he could not form words, and crawled towards them. They both gazed at him with loving eyes, just as Hiashi-sama had said. He was the only thing they both agreed on and loved. They were still his parents, and Neji crawled on, toward these two strangers that were so alike and yet so different from the two people that had raised him.

They started walking towards him, and hope bloomed in Neji's baby chest, but they only gave him a sad smile each before walking past him, eyes focused on something Neji can't see. He tried to go after them but he couldn't, he had to go forward. Because they were both dead, and even though he didn't remember any part of them, they still had hurt him with their absence. He had to move on.

So Neji crawled forward as fast as he could, and found he was growing as he went. Soon he could walk and talk, and at the six-year old stage (first grade, elementary school, it was amazing he could still remember that far), he saw a certain blond coming towards him, also six-years old. Neji smiled at the little blond, not being able to stop himself. Naruto was always someone who made everyone smile.

Even now, in the darkness, Neji found Naruto to be a happy influence. The blonde walked up to him and hugged Neji gently, also giving him a bright smile. "Beautiful Neji…are you afraid?"

Neji nodded, returning the hug gratefully. Naruto was a light within the darkness – a candle calling for him to come home. Naruto was stable, was going to stay here forever, right? Because that's what Naruto did for his friends. He was always there.

In Naruto's embrace Neji grew from a child to a teenager, a teenager to a young adult, perhaps 17 or 18. He didn't know if this dream (or vision) following a real rendition of his life, but he didn't care, not right now when he was clinging to the only light in the dratted darkness. And then Naruto suddenly pulled away from him.

Neji looked up, startled, and saw Naruto walking towards another. Sasuke. There were the tenderest and most loving expressions on their faces, but Neji cried out, afraid at the loss of his friend. Naruto only looked back once, whispering, "I'm sorry, I love him." A second later he had walked into Sasuke's arms and they had both disappeared. Neji was alone again.

He started walking forward again, eyes dull and steps wooden. When would this end?

At around 19, two other people materialized out of the darkness, and Neji raised his eyes up to see Hinata and Hiashi-sama, the closest family he had. He didn't want to get too close, seeing as how the people before had left him behind, but they only gave him their smiles and said, "Someone's waiting for you a little bit further. Go on, Neji."

They passed him and he looked back to see them walk away, but with their encouragement wasn't so afraid anymore. Neji started running, feet making no sound in this world. He wanted to get out of here, and if someone was waiting for him, they'd get him out, right?

Neji continued sprinting through the darkness, only to stop all of a sudden as he reached Uchiha Itachi. "Itachi!" he cried, running to hug the other. This was who had been waiting for him, right? Itachi was his closest friend, and…

Neji watched as Itachi smiled sadly and held Neji out at arms length. "I'm sorry Neji. I'm not the one you're trying to find. Just…run on a little longer, ok?"

Neji's body was almost at his real-life age now, and he frowned. He shouldn't have that much farther to run, right? "If it's not you, 'tachi, then who is it?"

"Someone who will take care of you, Neji. I'm sorry I can't be here for you, but I'm doing as much as I can…"

At Itachi's admission, Neji tried to smile. "It's fine, Itachi. You're doing the best that you can, right?"

"I…I guess." Itachi hung his head. "Just go on, Neji, and know that whatever happens I'll always be there for you."

"O-Ok, 'tachi." Neji forced himself to let go of his friend and walked back into the darkness, albeit hesitantly. If…if whoever was waiting for him wasn't Itachi, then who would it be?

A few minutes later, Neji found out.

Out of the darkness stepped the unmistakable figure of Sabaku Gaara.

-----

Shukaku turned to Gaara once again, and this time was uninterrupted as he dived into his person. Going through pitch black darkness again, he tried to grasp Loveless's hand as tightly as he could, but halfway through he knew his hand was holding onto air. And when he came back into the real world again, back as a small raccoon, Shukaku saw that he was alone.

He took a moment to mourn for Loveless and what could happen if Shukaku didn't convince Gaara that this was a good idea, but then shook himself out of his thoughts and nipped at Gaara's exposed skin.

The redhead muttered and stirred, but didn't wake up.

Shukaku sighed. Gaara didn't sleep that often, and one would expect that when he did it'd only be a light sleep, but to the contrary, whenever Gaara slept, it was an incredibly deep sleep that he couldn't be easily woken from.

_Gaara._ Shukaku murmured. _Gaara. Wake up. _

And he nipped the redhead again, because this was urgent and he needed Gaara to wake up. When he didn't, Shukaku got impatient and raised a paw, inflicting a sharp scratch onto Gaara's cheek, drawing blood. Shukaku tumbled down the bedcovers as Gaara suddenly sat up, gasping screaming, "Who's there?!"

_It's me, your heart. _

Gaara looked down and frowned. "Shu...Shukaku?"

_Listen, Gaara, we don't have time. Neji's in love with you. _

Gaara blinked. "Hyuuga Neji? He hates me, dear heart." He picked up the raccoon in his hands and smiled, a fragile smile not shown to the world very often. "But I'm glad you're here. I don't trust that prissy rich brat with you anyways. Will you come back to me?"

_Gaara! Listen to me, I'm being serious! Neji's heart has been influenced by a love potion, and he's now in love with you!_

Gaara blinked in confusion. "But why would I slip him a love potion in the first place? You must be mistaken."

_It's not your love potion, it's Orochimaru's. You know, the bastard who threw me into a wall? He hired an assassin to give Neji the love potion through a knife coated with the stuff. One cut and it was in Neji's bloodstream. _

"But what does all this have to do with me? If all you said was true, then the Hyuuga would be madly in love with Orochimaru, right?"

_It's not that simple, Gaara. We saved Neji's heart from Orochimaru, but you have to help him, ok? _

"Why should I?" Gaara huffed. "He endangered you. He didn't do his job."

_But Neji is a good person, and should be loved..._

"What, you mean by help that I should _love_ him?!"

_Well...yeah. Do you think you could?_

"No." Gaara answered honestly. "Whatever made you think that I could? I practically hate the guy, after all."

_I...just thought... _Shukaku was almost close to crying, seeing how big of a mistake he had made in condemning Neji (sweet, thoughtful Neji) to love Gaara for eternity. He had been being selfish. He had fulfilled Neji and Loveless's damn fate.

_I thought...you'd be... _Shukaku tilted his head back to look into Gaara's eyes, and the redhead inhaled sharply as he saw wide (watery) green eyes, a reflection of his own eyes, except this pair was much warmer and much more revealing. Within a second Shukaku had buried his head into Gaara's shirt and was sobbing uncontrollably.

Understandably, Gaara panicked.

-----

"S-Sabaku-san?" This couldn't be the person Itachi had been referring to. His best friend wouldn't send him to someone like...like emotionless Sabaku Gaara. Itachi wouldn't do something like that to him.

The redhead looked back imperiously at him, and Neji felt an unexpected twinge of...something in his heart. And speaking of his heart...Loveless should be with him, right? Loveless's light would relieve this darkness, even in a dream.

But when Neji tried to bring Loveless out, he found he couldn't. Loveless had just disappeared somehow...and then Neji looked up with wide eyes. There was a chain of chakra connecting the empty space where Loveless should have been to the similar space in Gaara, though his wasn't empty. No, Neji could see how Loveless slumbered inside, trapped there by a black ring. This...this couldn't be happening. It just couldn't! "No..." Neji echoed softly, and took a step back when Gaara moved forward.

"What?" Gaara looked mildly concerned for a second, before following Neji's line of sight and having a moment of realization. "Oh. Yeah. Shukaku...he saved Loveless from Orochimaru, and brought him to me. Don't jump to any conclusions."

"Oh." Neji was dumbfounded, but he supposed it made sense. Why would someone like Sabaku Gaara slip _him _a love potion? And he could identify that twinge before...it was affection? Love? Something like that. Something induced by the love potion... "I guess I should thank you."

It seemed like he had shocked Gaara as well with that statement. "Thank _me_? Why?"

"Because...you accepted me, right? Shukaku didn't just force me on you...did he?" A feeling of dread filled Neji's stomach, and he swallowed thickly. "Did he?"

"Yeah, he sorta did." Neji's eyes fell.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I guess Shukaku was just too worried for my wellbeing. I'm sorry." Neji repeated. "So...what are you planning to do with me now?"

"What do you mean? I'm not planning anything. You'll just live your own life, and I'll just live mine, just like before." Gaara's brow furrowed in confusion.

At the suggestion, Neji's face changed into a pained grimace, before he smoothed it back to calm and collected. "Sure. Of course. What else could I have been thinking..."

Gaara frowned. "What?"

Neji didn't answer for a moment. "Hmm?"

"What did you mean? What would change between us?"

"I _love _you." Neji's eyes had dropped during the silence, but now he raised them again, and Gaara could see the fire in them. "I LOVE you, and you tell me to...leave you alone. That _nothing _will change. That...you'll never love me back." Neji was **horrified** to find tears in his eyes, and he wondered at how potent Mourning was. If he had done this when it had only been a few minutes since he had seen Gaara, what would happen in the next few days? Months? Years? His whole life?

"But I never asked for it!" Gaara protested. "This just happened!"

"Did Naruto ask for your affections?"

Gaara winced. "No, he didn't."

"Did he expect it?"

"...No."

"And did he still stay your friend? Did he give you a chance?"

"Yes. But we had been friends before. Hyuuga, we aren't friends. We weren't before, and that's not going to change."

"I see." Neji swallowed again in nervousness. "Then I'll live with it." He could see the sigh of relief that Gaara let out, and felt Loveless break a little more at it. Neji didn't want to say anything more, make this situation worse, but couldn't help the words that came out of his mouth. "I can't do anything about it, after all. It's what Loveless predicted."

Gaara glared. "You're trying to make me feel guilty."

"Yes." Neji admitted. "I am. Because if I am going to feel miserable for the rest of my life, then I should share it, shouldn't I?"

Gaara snorted. "Then just kill yourself, why don't you? End your misery."

"What, you think I can? I have a business. I have responsibilities, just like you. My hearts depend on me, and I'm not going to let them down. I'm not going to kill myself."

Gaara sighed again. "Tell me though, why you're blaming me. Blame Shukaku, if you want, or blame Orochimaru, but I had nothing to do with it."

Neji stared back at him. "Orochimaru didn't succeed. Shukaku helped me get out of Orochimaru's grasp. But you, you, you're not trying anything. I'm not assuming that you'll be ecstatic about this, but think about my feelings, ok? This could be a very good situation for the both of us. If you'd actually try, I'll do my best to try to get you to like, or at least tolerate me. But if you just reject me, then I'll be miserable, and I'll make you miserable too. It's in your best interest to try, you know." Neji paused. "And besides, you'll have to get over Naruto sometime. He's married now."

Gaara's eyes widened. "_Married?! _When?"

"Today. To Uchiha Sasuke, of course. You've been in love with him too long, don't you think? Get over him. Find someone else. And I'm not saying you'll like me as much as you liked him, but gimme a try."

Gaara still didn't give an answer. "Oh, come on..." Neji semi-whined, but it was disconcerting to find Gaara's devotion somewhat...cute. "Gaara...I'll keep your fangirls away for you. I promise they'll never bother you again in your life if you say you're my boyfriend and give me a few days."

That apparently decided it. "You guarantee it?"

Neji nodded. "I don't make meaningless promises, Gaara."

Gaara, after another moment, nodded in agreement to Neji's proposal. "Fine. I'll give it a try. But don't expect anything from me. I'm not a lovey-dovey person."

"Of course not." Neji walked closer now, not (too) afraid anymore and went to inspect Gaara up-close. The redhead, like he knew, was shorter than him, and had pale green eyes and a very tense posture. And...there was something behind his bangs. Not that his bangs were really long or anything, but the thing was almost the same color as his hair, and it was hard to distinguish the two. Neji reached out and brushed the hair back.

Gaara flinched back at the closeness, but Neji had gotten a glimpse of what he was looking for. A tattoo! That was a new side of the uptight, rich, prissy (well, not so much now...) Sabaku Gaara. And an Asian character, it looked like, though Neji didn't know what it meant. But still, a tattoo! He wondered when and how Gaara had gotten it...

-----

Gaara tried as best as he could to hug the little raccoon to him, wiping the tears that came out of his heart's eyes. "Shukaku, Shukaku, don't cry. I'm sorry, ok? I'm sorry. I'll give Hyu-Neji a try. Ok? Don't cry." It was almost a spontaneous reaction, that. Probably since Shukaku was still a part of him. "I mean, I should listen to my heart, right? You probably know more than me in matters of love. And Neji probably knows more than me too, and he told me I was keeping you miserable." Gaara fidgeted. Blinked. Waited.

Shukaku sniffed. _Sorry for crying..._

Gaara petted Shukaku's fur. "No, it's fine. You should let out your feelings, I guess. I never let my feelings out, you know. So you should." He nodded to reinforce his point and wondered if he was making any sense. "But I'm not guaranteeing anything. I'll try, but in the end, I might not like him."

_I realize that. I'm just glad you're doing this for me, Gaara. _Shukaku smiled. _I'm happy. And I'm sure Neji and Loveless will be happy too. _

Gaara thought Shukaku was oversimplifying things. It wasn't like Neji and him could just consent to this and everything would be all right. There would be more things in the way. A lot more.

-----

Neji smiled. He was even more amused to find Gaara just that little bit unnerved by that smile, and took that moment to gather the shorter redhead into his arms. "Do you mind if I kiss you?"

Gaara's eyes widened at the question, and his mouth fell open. "What?"

"May I kiss you? It's a simple question, Gaara. May I or may I not?" There was a twinkle in Neji's eyes as he asked, and Gaara blushed, a tinge of pink across his cheeks.

"Do whatever you want." Gaara looked away, and Neji chuckled.

"Sure. I'll do just that." As Gaara's blush deepened, Neji leaned closer, and Gaara looked up despite himself. His eyes were afraid, Neji decided. Maybe Naruto's rejection had hurt him more than Gaara had let on. "Beautiful Gaara..."

Neji stroked Gaara's red hair and leaned in. He brushed the bangs from Gaara's face and his lips touched the redhead's forehead, skimming Gaara's tattoo. Neji drew back a moment later, a smile on his face and blushing as well. Gaara looked up in confusion. "That's it?"

"We need to take this easy. I...don't want to rush you, and I don't want to lose you. So I want to make this perfect." Neji still held Gaara close. "Absolutely perfect."

The next moment, everything had been engulfed by white light, and the dream had ended. When Neji woke up the next morning, he would remember none of it. Just a peaceful feeling, something like...love.

-----

**A/N: **Birthday tomorrow, on 4/25/07. So so happy to be turning 14...

And just to clear things up, Neji's dream was just a dream, really. Somewhat influenced by taking the love potion, but not reality at all. I just wanted to write it. -shrug-

**Next Chapter: **I think (and this is a rough guess, since all these chapters I've been turning out have been much longer than I anticipated) that next chapter is going to include the first meeting between Neji and Gaara after Neji has take the love potion, love at first sight (-squeal-), and lots of GaaNeji to make up for the lack of it in the last chapters! Seriously, five chapters full of plot is tiring me out...


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Warnings: Um…none? Although you all might want to kill me for the plot…

A/N: It seems like I always update after a month or so. I'm sorry. And thanks to the people who wished me a happy birthday!

-----

**-Guardian of My Heart, Chapter 6- **

It was a little before 5 o'clock on the morning of June 30th that three people (plus a small raccoon) were grouped inside a small business: specifically, a bank for hearts. Two out of the three were famous in Konoha society, the two being Uchiha Itachi and Sabaku Gaara, and the third, if not famous in public spheres, was very well known in some private ones for being one of the best ANBU in this generation, a reputation Hyuuga Shisui had worked hard for.

Sabaku Gaara had been the last to arrive for this little meeting. He hadn't seen the need for it – he had already promised Shukaku to give Neji a chance, what else was there to discuss? But Shukaku had dragged (uh, coerced?) him there with his influence (read: cuteness), and now _his _raccoon heart was sucking up to Uchiha Itachi and Hyuuga Shisui. Though, Gaara admitted to himself, not intentionally. Shukaku was just asking about everybody's wellbeing, and his cuteness just leaked out. Like that. It was…scary.

_Are you two all right? _Shukaku asked. _Manda and Iyaku didn't do anything, right?_

He was perched on Itachi's lap and looking up at the two, tail waving in worry.

"We're fine, Shukaku. Don't worry." Itachi answered. "Kitai and I defeated Manda and Iyaku before Sparrow got there."

_What about Neji? He's fine too, right? _

"Yeah." This time Shisui answered. "He's upstairs, sleeping. He'll wake up soon, so we've got to get this done quick. We need Gaara and Neji to meet sometime today."

_Why? _

"Because with Mourning, Neji is going to start obsessing over Gaara-san in the next 24 hours, and we have to make it seem natural, or as natural as it can be. How can we get them to meet?" Shisui asked.

Gaara would have commented on how they were talking as if he wasn't here, but then decided staying silent would be better. Shukaku would take care of the situation.

"I'm having lunch with Neji today. Perhaps I could bring Sabaku-san along?" Itachi suggested quietly. "I could say I have business to take care of during lunch, and not mention his name to Neji."

_That's a good plan_. Shukaku agreed. _What do you think, Gaara?_

The three finally turned to the redhead in question. "Do I have any choice in it whatsoever?" He asked, bored.

Shukaku looked at him with wide eyes, and Gaara flinched at the sheer pleading in those eyes. _But Gaara, I just want you to be happy…_

Gaara grumbled under his breath about what a (cute) manipulative bastard Shukaku was (and how they were so alike in that respect), sighing deeply. "Fine, fine. And it's a good idea, introducing us again over lunch. It'd seem strange if I just turned up in the middle of the day. Anything else I have to do?"

"Be nice to him." Itachi replied frankly. "Which I suppose would be quite a challenge to you, hmm?"

Gaara growled, but inside was glad to have someone to argue with. Arguing was his natural state. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that while Shukaku is quite nice, your nature…leaves something to be desired. You've needed to be emotionless and callous in order to succeed as the CEO of your company, and I don't begrudge you that, but you can't be like that with Neji."

"I know that." Gaara said. "And I've already had this conversation with Shukaku, so I don't feel I have to explain myself to you. I will give Neji a chance. I will be nice to him. Ok?"

Itachi looked pained at Gaara's answer, but gritted his teeth and gave an answer. "Fine. But if Neji turns out miserable, I'll be personally going after your company. Don't think I don't have the power or money to destroy Sabaku Corp." The two CEOs glared at each other, and Shisui intervened.

"Come on, we don't have much time. Neji's going to wake up anytime, and Shukaku needs to be up in his room when he does. You need to convince him it's just a normal day, ok?" Shisui directed the last part of this sentence towards Shukaku.

_Yeah, I'll do that. _

"Then we'll _all_ _go_ and leave you alone." Shisui grabbed Itachi's collar and Gaara's sleeve when it looked like the two were going to start fighting again, "We don't have anything else to do anyways. Well, I have one thing." Letting go of the other two but shooting them a warning glare, Shisui picked Shukaku up, along with a set of keys from on top of Neji's desk.

Shisui walked to the elevator, pressed the button, and went in when the doors opened. He held Shukaku up to see how he inserted one of Neji's keys into a keyhole on the side of the elevator, and only then did the doors close and the elevator go up. Shukaku recognized this procedure as what Neji always did to start the elevator, and understanding came to him. _You don't have the keys to start this elevator, do you Shisui?_

"Well, I do, but they're in my civilian clothes. I don't usually need them because Neji is always downstairs when I come in the mornings, and I like to keep the jingling to a minimum on my job. It's bad enough with my weapons…"

_What about Itachi? _

"He doesn't carry it on hand for the same reason I don't, because Neji's always here, so no."

_Oh. So what are we going to do now? _They had reached the second (and only other) floor, and Shukaku knew Shisui would need the keys to go back down.

"You're going to wait in the hall outside the elevator, and I'm going to use the key and throw the whole ring of keys out to you. You just need to return it to Neji's bureau table, the one in front of his bed. I left his door open because I know you can't go through walls, but I can't put his keys back myself, so…"

_I'll do it, Shisui. Don't worry about it. _

"Are you sure? The keys are heavy…"

_I'm not weak. _Shukaku replied dryly.

"That's right, I suppose. You know, Shukaku, sometime we'll have to sit down and discuss how you managed to defeat Sparrow so easily. He's going crazy trying to figure it out himself."

_Yeah, we'll have to do that sometime, because I don't know myself, really… _Now Shukaku jumped out of Shisui's hands and out of the open elevator doors. _Ready? _

Shisui nodded, twisted the key, and as the elevator doors started closing, wrenched the keys out and threw it towards Shukaku. It made it, and Shukaku chased after Neji's keys as it tumbled down the hallway. He grabbed it and it came to a stop, and the small raccoon proceeded to drag a bunch of keys (that was almost half his size) down the hallway, into the living room, and slowly, slowly, into Neji's bedroom.

And downstairs, Shisui was ushering both Itachi and Gaara out the door. They were going to put on a show for Neji tomorrow, but right now, they all needed sleep.

--(going back a little in time)--

Orochimaru and Kabuto came back to themselves with a start as Itachi defeated their hearts, both breathing hard and sweating. They calmed themselves quickly though, and Kabuto glanced at Orochimaru through the corner of his eye.

"I'm fine, Kabuto." Orochimaru didn't miss a thing. "And even though we didn't get Loveless, I'm sure we've made Neji's life much more difficult. And we do have those future plans, so…" He smirked as he stood up and stretched his sleeping limbs. "We'll see how this goes. And who wins in the end."

-----

Neji woke up slowly and smiled up at the ceiling. He didn't know why he was so happy, but he must've had a nice dream or something…though how did he get here anyways? The last thing he remembered was getting Shukaku back from Kiba…

Neji's brow furrowed as he looked around for Shukaku, but he relaxed again as he saw Shukaku slumbering, body and tail wrapped around his neck like yesterday morning. He stroked Shukaku's back and the little raccoon stirred, so Neji stopped. But that didn't stop Shukaku from waking up and looking up at Neji with sleepy little eyes. _Neji?_

"I'm fine, Shukaku, go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you up."

_Oh… _Shukaku mumbled some more incoherent words before going back to sleep. Neji noticed the bandages Kiba had put on Shukaku were gone, but Shukaku seemed back to normal, so he didn't quibble about it.

He looked around for a clock and saw it was almost 6:30, but since Shukaku was sleeping so peacefully…Neji decided the ANBU would have told him if they had had a love-potion bust last night, and that there wasn't much chance of them dropping over and needing him. Most of them just wanted breakfast, and there was enough food in the refrigerator downstairs…

Neji fell asleep again a little later, wishing to relive that dream from last night…whatever it was.

-----

Neji woke up again around 8, and when he saw the time he freaked. The last time he had allowed himself to sleep in was…probably in college, if he didn't count sicknesses and alarm clocks that didn't work. He'd never taken a vacation, and he'd gotten this business right after college…

He sat up gingerly, removing Shukaku from his position around his neck and placing him on the covers. Neji then slipped out of bed and started dressing for the day, being a little rushed but not that much. It was only after he had finished dressing that Shukaku spoke up.

_Neji? _

Neji turned around to see Shukaku walking across his tousled bedcovers. "Yes Shukaku?"

_You weren't thinking of leaving me behind while you worked, were you? _

"You were sleeping, and…"

Shukaku jumped into Neji's arms and peered into his eyes. _Neji, I give you permission to wake me up the next time I'm sleeping and you're going off to work. I don't want to spend the entire day stuck in your apartment…_

At that moment Shukaku's stomach rumbled, and Neji laughed. "And besides, you'd be hungry if you were stuck in my apartment all day. That's the real reason, isn't it?" he teased.

_Think what you want. _Shukaku told him tartly. _Just don't leave me behind. _

"Hmm." Neji smiled and started walking towards the elevator, pocketing his keys as he passed the table they rested on. He didn't see Shukaku's eyes following his every move, trying to see if he knew anything was wrong.

-----

After making his rounds and eating breakfast, Neji settled down to filling out paperwork and making phone calls, the things he did when there wasn't an appointment waiting for him. Shukaku sat on his desk and slept a little more, sometimes looking over Neji's paperwork and commenting on it when he was awake. Around 11, Neji's cell phone rang.

"Hyuuga Neji." Neji said as he picked up.

"Hey Neji, it's Itachi. You haven't forgotten about our lunch, have you?"

"Of course not! You just never told me what time. Should I come over now?"

"Well, you see, there's a little problem. I forgot that I needed to meet with someone for business today, so we're both here at Little Sicily. Would you still like to have lunch together?"

"I don't want to intrude on your business meeting…"

"It's fine, we're almost done. I'll send my driver over to pick you up, and we'll still have lunch together, ok? I want to spend more time with you, Neji. And bring Shukaku too, if you want."

Neji paused, not knowing whether to accept the offer or not, but he did want to spend more time with Itachi… "Sure. I'll see you in a few minutes?"

"Yup. Bye Neji."

"Bye 'tachi."

Neji hung up and looked down at Shukaku. "We're going to eat lunch with Uchiha Itachi. Is that ok?"

Shukaku nodded enthusiastically. "I can't wait to meet him. Kitai seems so nice, and I'm sure Itachi is too."

"Yeah, he is…" Neji smiled and stood up, letting Shukaku jump onto his hand, up his arm and onto his shoulder. He walked out of his office and told Haku they were going to lunch and he was welcome to take his lunch break too, before Neji moved to the door of his business. Itachi's limo was already there.

Neji walked down to the limo and got in, thanking Tezuki by name, because by now he knew Itachi's personal limo driver pretty well. They drove to Little Sicily and Neji got out, going into the restaurant a moment later. He got some strange looks from the maitre d' and servers for coming in with a raccoon perched on his shoulder, but no one commented, because they all knew who he was. Neji was directed to Itachi's table, but Neji stopped short when they got there. Sitting beside Itachi was…Sabaku Gaara. He hadn't noticed them yet, and all Neji could see was the back of his head, but that was enough.

Shukaku, of course, jumped off Neji's shoulder and ran to Gaara, clamoring for attention and getting it. Gaara looked down at his heart and actually smiled, before picking the raccoon up and placing him in his lap, not caring about if Shukaku shed fur or anything (for the record, the raccoon didn't). And then Gaara looked up into Neji's eyes, with still a trace of a smile on his lips, and Neji…melted. His pulse sped up, his stomach was suddenly stuck in his throat, and his eyes widened. It was hard to breathe…

Neji didn't know what this feeling was or how it had come, but he was all of a sudden enchanted with Gaara. He stared at Gaara's skin, and hair, and eyelashes and mouth, and inexplicably never wanted to look away. What was this?

"Neji." Itachi's voice broke through the hazy fuzziness that had pervaded Neji's mind. "Neji, sit down."

An involuntary blush spread through Neji's cheeks (what would Sabaku Gaara think of his dim wittedness?) and he quietly did as he was told, looking down at his hands. Unbeknownst to him, the rest of Neji's lunch partners (and that included Shukaku) were astonished by his meekness.

A waiter came a second after Neji sat, offering the Hyuuga a menu, and Neji took it and flipped through it distractedly. "Is your business meeting over?" he asked softly, still not daring to look up.

"Um, yes." Itachi didn't trust himself not to leap out of his seat, shake Neji by his shoulders, and ask what had happened to change him so much. Was this what love had reduced Neji into?

_But Gaara can stay, can't he? _Shukaku asked excitedly, jumping into Neji's lap. _You don't mind, do you Neji? _

Neji smiled. "Of course he can stay. That is, if he doesn't have any other appointments right now that we're keeping him from…"

"No, I don't have any pressing matters right now." Gaara replied stiffly. He didn't know quite what to say in this situation. Knowing last night that Hyuuga Neji was going to be in love with him and seeing it today were two different things altogether. What was he supposed to do? His first instinct was to push the other away, because the blushing and timidity reminded him way too much of his fangirls. But he didn't have that choice today, not with both Uchiha Itachi and his own heart staring at him and reminding him of his promise to give Neji a chance. It was so frustrating…

_I'm glad you can stay. _Shukaku said, jumping to Gaara again. _I don't see you a lot these days, and sometimes I miss you. Maybe you could visit once in a while? _

"No, no." Neji protested after he gave his order to the waiter. "Sabaku-san will be much too busy for that, won't you?" He looked to Gaara for an answer.

"I-I suppose I will be." Gaara thought Neji's eyes were alright though. The Hyuuga looked blind and therefore harmless, and it was calming to look into them. So he liked Neji's eyes.

"See, Shukaku? But if you really want we'll go visit Sabaku-san at his office sometime, when he isn't so busy. Is that all right with you?"

And Gaara admitted that the Hyuuga was certainly thoughtful. He would have had to be, working with people and their hearts so often. "Yes, it's fine." Gaara answered. "Just be sure to make an appointment first."

"Of course. It would be rude to intrude on your workplace."

The rest of lunch passed with the same light conversation. By the end of it Itachi and Shukaku were satisfied that Neji and Gaara were on the right track, Gaara had admitted that perhaps liking Neji would not be such a bad thing after all, and Neji was just hopelessly in love without even knowing the reason why. He didn't know how his view of his client had changed so drastically since the last time he had seen the other, but he didn't feel like questioning it. Shukaku was nice, and Gaara's attitude towards him seemed to have improved. Neji felt happy, blissfully happy, and didn't think about it. Not yet. Later, perhaps, he would face reality, but not yet. Not now.

-----

Itachi gave Neji and Shukaku a ride back in his limo, and throughout the ride Neji stared out the window while Itachi observed the aforementioned Hyuuga. Itachi knew the silence between them was no fault of Neji's. Neji's thoughts would be all for Sabaku Gaara now, because of Mourning, and yet Itachi felt jealous. Cheated. He had been Neji's best friend for such a long time, and he had like Neji for so long too, and now to not have any chance at all, because of the love potion and Orochimaru.

Yes, Orochimaru was at fault here. But Itachi would find a way to thwart the snake bastard, somehow. He thought of his surgery, the process he had worked on for the past year, and knew he had to rethink it now. If he wanted to do this for Neji, he had to make sure it was safe. Now Loveless was in Gaara, so to complete the procedure he would have to have both Neji's and Gaara's cooperation. He would have to transport the both of them to Tsukuyomi, and it would be more complicated than ever. On the plus side, this surgery would get rid of Mourning as well as Loveless, and then maybe Itachi would have a chance again.

But he shouldn't think of his gain. He was doing this for Neji, had always been doing it for Neji, will always do it for Neji even if he didn't gain anything from it. Because Neji would do it for him.

Still, Itachi couldn't help looking at Neji and wishing it was him Neji was thinking of, not Sabaku Gaara.

-----

Neji got out of the limo, thanking Itachi and Tezuki for the ride, and went back into his business, Zabuza opening the door for him despite being startled by the starry look on his boss's face. Even Haku noticed as Neji passed him to go into his office. "Hey Neji, you all right? You seem…ill."

Neji stopped before Haku's desk and smiled at the other. "Hmm, do I? I don't feel ill, so don't worry about it." He went on, then stopped. "Hey, Haku, want to take the rest of the day off?"

Haku stared at him as if he were crazy. "But Neji, you just gave me half a day off yesterday for my anniversary with Zabu! Are you sure you aren't sick or something?"

"Nah. It's summer, and I don't get sick during the summer. But…I dunno, I don't feel like working today. Do I have any appointments scheduled?"

"No, you're all cleared for the rest of the day."

Neji smiled. A day without appointments was rare for him. "Then you can go, Haku. I'll take care of any paperwork or phone calls for the rest of the day."

"…You sure?"

"Yeah, just have a good time with Zabuza. And invite me to the wedding."

"Eh, then you'll have to wait a while," Haku replied while getting out of his chair. "We aren't quite ready for marriage yet."

"But I'm sure you will be. Don't protest, Haku, I can see how happy you two are. Now scat." The two grinned at each other and Haku picked up his keys and ran out the door. Zabuza looked surprised as Haku tugged on his hand, and looked back at Neji once, but Neji just smiled and waved them goodbye.

Neji really thought Haku and Zabuza were the perfect couple. They certainly didn't look like they should work as a couple, but they loved each other, and Neji thought their hearts were some of the happiest he had ever seen.

He sighed in content and went into his office, letting Shukaku jump down onto his desk. "Did you have a nice lunch?"

_Hmm, yeah. _Shukaku nodded enthusiastically. _The warm milk was nice. 'Cept that the waitresses all cooed about me…_

Neji laughed. "Do you have the same fear of fans that Gaara has?"

_Probably worse, really. He can stand up to them, at least. I just look cute. _Shukaku sulked.

"Cuteness is a very useful skill, you know. Gaara at least doesn't seem to be able to resist it."

_You think so? _Shukaku perked up. He seemed very pleased that he had Gaara wrapped around his little finger.

"Yeah, definitely." Neji paused, thought a little before speaking. "Hey, Shukaku…"

_Yes Neji? _

"I…want to ask your permission for something."

Shukaku waited for him to go on with a hopeful mind.

"You see, it's about Gaara."

_Yes Neji? _

"I…" Neji gulped and changed his sentence. "You know I promised to set him up with someone that'll make him happy, right?"

_Right. _

"Would…would you mind terribly if I delay that for a while? I…" Neji blushed and wondered how he was being so forward with this. "I think I like him."

Shukaku was ecstatic at this confession, though he didn't show it. Was Neji opening up? Would their plan work out?

_Good for you, Neji. _

Neji looked shocked. "No, no it's not! I know he can't love me, and I'm just stopping him from finding someone he truly loves, but…I really like him. Will you let me, um, date him?"

Shukaku wanted to learn how much Neji was affected by Mourning. _How much do you like him? _

Neji blushed. "I don't just like him. I think I want him. It's really…strange. I keep staring at him, and my pulse goes up, I blush profusely, and I'm pretty sure I'd stutter if I looked up at him while speaking. I don't know why Gaara affects me so much, but it's so close to the things I see from my former clients, the ones that are in love, that…that…" Neji visibly drooped. "I'm finally in love. Just like I always wanted to avoid."

_But Neji, don't you see? This is a great chance for you! _

"What do you mean? Even though Gaara isn't as hostile as before, he's still not friendly towards me. And he'll never be as close as _I _want him to be. Maybe I should just give up now, not bother him…"

_No, Neji, you promised to help him get over Naruto, remember? _

When Neji's expression dropped, Shukaku knew that he had said something wrong. _Neji? _

"I also just remembered that I need to tell him Naruto is married now. He's going to hate me."

_No he isn't, Neji. If you're there for him, and if you break it to him gently, he won't hate you at all. Maybe he's gotten over Naruto. You don't know for sure, and I don't either. So it won't hurt to try, will it? _

"Will it? It'll just all hurt me in the end when I have to let go of him. Maybe I just shouldn't do this, Shukaku. It isn't good for him, and it doesn't do me a lot of good either, when I know I have no chance. Maybe I should just stop this nonsense."

_But Neji, don't give up so soon! _It was just like Hiashi-sama had said. Maybe Neji's curse was just a self-fulfilling prophecy, because Neji didn't want to fall in love in the first place, so he would stay loveless. _You should ask first if Gaara wants this or not, shouldn't you? And if he says he does, maybe you have a chance. We'll just do that before you make yourself miserable, ne? _

"But then he'll know."

Shukaku paused. Neji _did _have a point there. What could he say to reassure the Hyuuga? _I…guess you're right. _Shukaku admitted lamely. _But are you really determined to hold onto Loveless? You should try at least once, shouldn't you? Just to…make sure. Your heartname got misinterpreted once. Maybe you've misinterpreted it once again. _

Neji's head snapped up. "You think so? Is it possible?"

Shukaku nodded. _I think it's very possible. You'll try to have a relationship first though. Will you? For me? For yourself? _

"I guess it could be ok. But what would I have to do? I don't know anything about dating or-"

_Just follow what your heart says, Neji. And besides, all you have to do is be nice and pay attention to Gaara, and he'll be half in love with you before you know it. _

"Really? You think so?"

_Well, you know LOTS of people are half in love with you, they just don't do anything because you push them away. _

"I push them away?" Neji apparently hadn't noticed this.

_You, well, no. You don't push them away, you just make it hard for them to know you. I guess for some people you seem so perfect that they're afraid of getting close to you, and for others they know you're always affectionate, so they don't know if you're being nice just because it's you or you're being nice because they have a chance with you. And because they're confused and they don't want to look foolish, they don't want to try. _

Neji frowned. "How do you see all that?"

_Because it would be what I'd feel if I were to like you. Which…I do. _

"You do?"

Shukaku nodded quickly. _Doesn't everybody? _

Neji didn't know what to say. Shukaku's words could be interpreted two ways, and he didn't know which way Shukaku meant. "I…"

Shukaku saw Neji's discomfort and smiled. _Don't worry about it, Neji. I'm just glad we've got this figured out. Now, how are we going to tell him? _

"Erm…will you tell him?"

_Aww, Neji, you're so shy! _

"Am not." But the blush on Neji's cheeks overturned his denial. "Anyways, I should go back to work. We'll discuss this later."

Shukaku wondered at the language Neji used. _You know, Neji, when you're in love and you're with Gaara, you won't be able to brush it aside so easily. You won't be able to 'discuss it later'. That's just something you sacrifice with love. _

"I know that. I'm being distracted even now, and I haven't even told Gaara yet." He smiled a dreamy smile. "But you know, the more work I do know, the less I have to do later…"

Shukaku snorted. _Yeah, but you'll still be really behind. But I suppose you're right. I won't talk until you finish, k? _

"Hmm, thanks."

-----

Neji stood up and stretched, yawning all the while. "Hmm, sleep sounds so nice right now."

_I agree. _Shukaku jumped up Neji's arm, up his shoulder, and perched on top of his head, nestled in his hair. _Hmm, soft…_

Neji rolled his eyes and started walking toward his bedroom. He got there a moment later and lifted Shukaku from his head, settling the raccoon on his bed while he went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and undressed. After putting his clothes in the laundry hamper, he crawled into bed and snuggled against Shukaku. The raccoon, though Neji hadn't noticed it before, smelled very nice. Sorta salty like the beach, but with this fiery _tang _in it, like the spice of something (like a candle or a piece of paper) burning. Maybe nice wasn't the correct word to use…

Neji fell asleep with his face cushioned against Shukaku's tail, murmuring in content.

-----

_Neji opened his eyes groggily, not wanting to wake up. It was so warm…_

_He turned in his covers, eyes still closed, when his nose bumped into something, and it wasn't any part of the bed. _

_Hmm? What could that be, he wondered. Neji slowly opened his eyes, his eyelashes grazing the thing in question. He saw skin. Smooth skin, but so pale that it almost looked unnatural. Neji looked up from the chest his nose was almost touching, and up into a face. _

_Sabaku Gaara's face, with open eyes that were looking down at him. _

_"Good morning." The redhead's voice was sultry, and Neji felt as if this was an everyday morning ritual, as if Neji woke up to Gaara everyday. He blushed. _

_"G-Good morning." _

_Gaara smirked and cupped Neji's face with one hand. "Well, aren't we all shy and innocent this morning?" He kissed Neji's nose gently. "Come on, we need to get up." _

_"W-We do?" _

_Gaara pinched Neji's cheek teasingly. "Well, we can't stay in bed all day, can we? It'd be inappropriate. But…" Gaara leaned close, touching their noses together. "Since today's our anniversary, you can stay in bed a little longer. I'll make breakfast." _

_Gaara scooted out of bed, and Neji was faced with the tantalizing sight of Gaara's body clad in a wrinkled dress shirt 3 sizes (or more) too big for him. And, it seemed when Gaara leaned over to pick something up from the floor, he wasn't wearing anything else. Oh god…_

_Gaara straightened up again and Neji struggled to rid the red from his face. Gaara turned around and apparently saw something despite Neji's efforts, because he smiled and winked. "Like what you see, Neji? Be patient, tonight you'll see a lot more." After being such a tease, Gaara turned around again and walked out of the room. Neji sunk back down into the pillows, having bolted straight up when Gaara had gotten out of bed, and pulled the covers back up to his chin again. Just then he realized he was, um, naked, totally, and Neji pulled the covers even closer to his body. _

_And then he noticed a glint of something shiny on his finger. _

_Neji gasped, and grabbed his left hand tightly. Was that what he thought it was…where he thought it was? _

_Was that a wedding ring? _

_It certainly looked like it. The ring was garishly decorated, gold and diamonds and everything. It looked like the best ring money could buy, and Neji was sure it was. He frowned. It wouldn't have been a ring he would've bought. He would've chosen something simple, something silver (because it complemented him better), not gold, and one diamond, at the most. Not seven! _

_But still, it was definitely a wedding ring, and Gaara had mentioned something about their anniversary…so they were married!?_

-----

Neji tumbled off the bed and his eyes burst open, now wide awake. He groaned, cursing the hardwood floor under his carpet. "Ugh…"

And then Neji felt the furriness still under him, and sat up in a flash. "Shukaku? Shukaku? Are you ok?"

_Ugh…N-Neji, what happened? Did you have a nightmare or something? _

Neji got off the floor, cradling Shukaku in his arms and soothing the poor raccoon he had fallen on. "No, no." He reached out and turned on the lamp beside him. "I didn't have a nightmare."

Neji sat cross-legged on his bed, his hair falling around his face. "It wasn't a nightmare at all, actually. It was…"

_Yes Neji? _

"I dreamed Gaara and I were married."

_WHAT?_

"Yeah, I know. It's unusual, isn't it? And you'd think…I've only know him for a few days, I'd be more likely to have a wet dream about him than something like this, even though I haven't experienced any of those dreams before. But…it'd be easier to lust after him than to love him, I think. Lots of fangirls already do, I suppose. And yet…I dreamed we were married."

_And how did you feel? _

"Really really happy. Even though I was shocked, and even though the wedding ring on my finger was horrible and not at all to my taste, I felt glad that I was married, and even gladder that it was Gaara I was married to. Strange, isn't it?"

Shukaku purred. _Not at all. Love is blind, isn't it? But you should go back to sleep, shouldn't you? You need your rest. _

Neji sighed. "I would, but I don't think I'll be able to sleep again tonight really. I'm just…too awake now to sleep, even though I want to."

_Then what do you want to do? Since you're awake and technically I don't need sleep? _

Neji stared off into the distance. "Maybe we should take a walk. I'll go put my clothes on."

He got off the bed and did as he said, while Shukaku asked, _Where are we going? _

Neji paused. "I don't know. Where do you want to go?"

Shukaku gave him a piercing look. _Well, where do __**you**__ want to go? _

Neji met his eyes and blushed. "I…"

_You want to visit Gaara. _

"Um, yes. I do."

_Then we'll go visit Gaara. _

Neji frowned. "Isn't he in his apartment right now, sleeping?"

Shukaku shook his head. _No, he isn't. This is something almost nobody else knows, certainly not the public, because if they found out it'd be disastrous. But Gaara is an insomniac, you see. He sleeps something like one night out of a week, and the other nights he's either working or outside walking around. So there's a good chance we'll be able to catch him tonight. You want to try? I'll take you to him. A lot of the time he likes to go to a park somewhat near here and look up at the stars. _

"Wouldn't he be mad if we interrupted him? If he wanted company he could always go to a nightclub or something, so if he's watching the stars he surely wants to be alone…"

_I'm sure he wouldn't mind a few people for company. He gets lonely a lot, you know. It was better when Naruto stuck around him all the time, but now Gaara's lonelier than ever. _

"Aa. Then…he wouldn't mind?"

_Probably not. And why don't you bring a pillow and a blanket? Maybe you'll feel like sleeping there. _

Neji chewed on his lip in thought. "Is it very far?"

_I don't think so. Do you know the park about a mile away? With the really big fountain in the center of it?_

"Yeah. I've been there a couple of times, though I don't know it that well. Is Gaara there?"

_Yeah, he's been going there since Naruto started dating Sasuke. There was another park he liked, but too many memories lingered around that place. _

"I see." Neji finished pulling a pair of slacks on, slipped his keys into his pocket and took Shukaku's advice, picking up a blanket and pillow, along with Shukaku himself. "Will you lead me there?"

Shukaku nodded, and they went out, down the elevator and out the door.

Shukaku jumped off the pillow then, saying, _Neji's carrying too much stuff already, so I won't add to the burden. Besides, it's easier to lead you this way. Just follow me. _

They walked through the empty streets quietly, Neji enjoying the summer evening. It was a little breezy, but not that cold, and even though he wasn't wearing a jacket, he wasn't shivering. It was nice weather.

Neji followed Shukaku for about a quarter of an hour before they reached the park, going through its unlocked gates. Shukaku pointed out the lone car in the parking lot, commenting, _That's one of Gaara's cars, so he must be here. _

Neji stopped and spared a glance to the obviously expensive car, complete with tinted windows, before starting to follow Shukaku again.

They branched off of the main path soon, going down a small footpath through a small forest. This park was pretty big, Neji knew, and very beautiful. It had lots of secluded little spots that would shield one's privacy. After walking some more, Neji and Shukaku came out to a large meadow, surrounded by trees on all sides. Shukaku sniffed the air carefully and started running towards a shadow on the side of the meadow, which was lying on the ground and looking up at the sky.

_Gaara!_

-----

Gaara looked up at the stars, his hands behind his head as he reclined on the soft grass. It was one of the better nights, he thought. No rain or other bad weather – in fact, the sky was cloudless, and he could see each and every star in the sky. He had changed out of formal clothing and was now wearing a t-shirt and jeans, both pieces of clothing so covered with grass stains that he didn't bother trying to scrub them off anymore. It was why he had bought such clothes anyway. It wouldn't do to have grass stains on his dress shirts.

At the sound of his name he sat up quickly, looking around for the intruder. Who knew he was here?

But it was just Shukaku running across the meadow, and Gaara let the raccoon fly into his arms because he was glad to see his heart too. It made sense that Shukaku would know where he was. They had been the same being a few days ago, after all. And he was happy Shukaku had come to see him.

Before he had given Shukaku up, Gaara had seen the raccoon in his dreams. It was only once in a while, made scarcer by the fact that he didn't sleep that often, but they had talked, and Gaara had known Shukaku was his heart. He had liked those talks, and had only separated from his heart because it had hurt too much. But now, now that Shukaku wasn't a part of him anymore but still tangible, Gaara longed to talk to him again, in private, in peace. It would clear his mind, he thought. And tonight was the perfect time. He wanted to talk about Neji and what to do.

But then Gaara saw another shadow at the edge of the clearing, and looked up. His former happiness stuck in his throat as he saw that it was Neji, holding a blanket and pillow and intruding so very much. "What are you doing here?" Gaara snapped, his voice sharp and accusing.

Neji stepped back at the question, knowing by the tone of voice Gaara used that the redhead didn't want him here. "I…" He took a deep breath. "I couldn't sleep, and Shukaku told me you were an insomniac, so I thought I'd visit you. And I brought a blanket and pillow in case you were cold."

It was the truth. He'd be safe telling the truth.

Gaara grumbled. "So you're bribing me to let you intrude? Shukaku's too nice – he won't even think about telling you to go away, but I will." This was supposed to be his alone time with his heart. Neji wasn't supposed to be here, not before Gaara had figured out what to do.

"Ah, you're…right…" Neji walked forward though, and Gaara frowned again. "Just take the blanket and pillow, alright? I don't want you to be uncomfortable or cold or…"

"…Fine." Gaara reached out for the blanket and pillow, noticing the way Neji's hands lingered just a touch longer than necessary. And before he could back away, Neji's arms had encircled him, and the other was _way _too close and Gaara was feeling _way _too uncomfortable with this. Or, he should've been. Except that he remembered the last time someone (Neji himself) had hugged him like this, had whispered in his ear that he loved him. That time he had believed it was Naruto who was telling him this, and in the darkness, with Neji's arms around him, he could, maybe, believe it was still Naruto who was holding him like this, and whispering into his ear that…

"Gaara-san, I know you don't like me very much, and I'm sorry that I'm intruding, but I hope you'll grow to accept my…affections, and the way I care for you." Neji knew it was strange to confess like this, but he just wanted _so much_ for Gaara to know of his feelings, that all his embarrassment was just brushed off. And with his confession said, he brushed his lips across Gaara's cheek – a whisper of a kiss, and let him go. Neji started walking back across the meadow, when he heard Gaara calling him back.

"Wait!" A strangled call was torn from Gaara's throat, and even he was shocked at the ferocity of that command. As Neji looked back at him, Gaara swallowed and went on in an even voice. "I mean…don't go. It'd be unfair of me to send you away after you came all the way here, after all. Just…don't go."

Neji came back with a smile, and Gaara's stomach churned, because that smile was nothing like Naruto's bright grin, not even when hidden in the darkness. He wondered if this would actually work, if he could actually pretend that Hyuuga Neji was Uzumaki Naruto and love him as if he were Naruto, but that was the only way something like this would work.

As they settled down on the grass again, Gaara thought: if he was going to be forced into loving someone, truly loving someone, then he deserved having this illusion, didn't he? Deserved to think that it was Naruto's chest that he was leaning against, Naruto's arms that were wrapped around him, Naruto's heartbeat that he was hearing behind him.

Gaara looked up at the stars, and brought the blanket up to his chin. "It's nice." he whispered to no one in particular.

"Hmm, yeah it is." Neji agreed. He breathed in the scent of Gaara's hair, and sighed. This was much more than he had hoped for. He had his back to a tree, and he was holding Gaara in his arms. The blanket was covering both of them, and Shukaku was curled up on the pillow, which was on Gaara's lap. It was really, really…nice. Neji started drifting off, but then started awake when he thought of something. "Gaara, I need to tell you something."

"Yes?"

"Naruto's married now."

Gaara twisted his body to look Neji in the eyes. "What?"

Neji smoothed back Gaara's hair and hoped he wasn't too angry. "Yesterday, I married Naruto to Sasuke. So…so Gaara-san, you don't have a chance anymore. You've…you've gotten over him, haven't you? But I just thought…you should know."

Gaara turned back to face the meadow, and wondered how to reply. He wasn't really angry, not now, when he had his _own _Naruto. Not when he could just pretend Neji _was_ Naruto, because, according to Shukaku, the Hyuuga lovedhim now. "Don't worry, Neji. I'm not angry. And…let's not talk about this, hmm? Let's just look at the stars."

And as Neji sighed in contentment, Gaara felt just a little bit of guilt for deceiving the other.

But then it passed. This was the best situation for everybody. Neji could feel loved, because Gaara could truly love him as Naruto, and Shukaku and Itachi and all of the rest of Neji's friends would be satisfied.

Yes, this would truly be the best arrangement. Gaara looked up at the stars and relaxed in Neji's hold.

-----

A/N: Erm…this is my plot. Don't worry, it'll get better. Poor Neji, you know? But still, sympathize with Gaara. You can't just expect him to bow down and love someone, even if his own heart is telling him to.

Next Chapter's Vague Ideas: Neji visits Gaara at his job, more GaaNeji.

Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Author's Note: …I haven't updated in nine months. I apologize. Please forgive me. –grovels-

-----

**Guardian of My Heart – Chapter 7**

_Neji sat up again as Gaara came in the door, balancing a jug and some cups in his hands. "I made you breakfast." Gaara said. "Just let me get the rest of it…" After setting the stuff in his hands down, he went out the door again and came back with a tray, laden with pancakes and eggs and a little of every sort of thing someone eats for breakfast. Neji looked at the amount of food on the tray and gulped, hoping that Gaara would be eating too. _

_Gaara balanced the tray on Neji's lap before burrowing into the covers on the opposite side of the bed, settling himself so that they were facing each other over the food and both were covered by the warm bedcovers. _

_"You should put on some more clothes…" Neji randomly commented. _

_"Why? You're totally naked, and I'm not complaining." Gaara pointed out. _

_"Yeah, but I'm not the one running around the house cooking breakfast half-naked and tempting. I'm staying in bed, with the curtains closed, while you're out there with the curtains open." Neji pouted to make his point as he glanced at the tray, trying to figure out where the eating utensils were._

_"Jealous?" _

_"What would you feel if __**I **__started doing that?" _

_Gaara thought for a second. "Good point. I'd want to…well. It's too bloody to mention right before we eat. What are you looking for?" _

_"Eating utensils. You didn't intend for us to eat all this with our hands, did you?"_

_"No. I'll go get some…" As Gaara jumped out of bed again and prepared to go into the kitchen again, Neji shouted, "Clothes! Put on some more clothes!" _

_"But Neji, what's the use of clothes when I'm just going to take them off again?" Gaara sped out of the room at that, and Neji could hear his rapid footsteps in the hallway. A moment later Gaara came back in, forks and knives and spoons clutched in his hands, along with napkins. "Here." the redhead said as he piled it all onto the bed next to the tray before he climbed in again. "Now we'll eat breakfast, ok Neji?" _

_Neji looked at all the delicious food and found he couldn't refuse, even though he was still petulant about Gaara continuing to run around the house naked. Oh well, there was time for one quick jab. "Well Gaara, since you believe in 'why should I wear clothes if I'm just going to take them off', then I don't have to wear clothes either, right? I can just go to work n-" _

_Gaara cut him off before he could continue by stuffing a pancake into his mouth. After swallowing, Neji laughed and laughed. "Jealous?" he mimicked. _

_Gaara sniffed in teasing disdain. "Extremely. Now stop talking and eat, or do I have to feed you your entire breakfast?" _

_Neji smiled and started eating. "That won't be necessary." They settled down into comfortable silence while they ate, and Neji marveled at the quality of the food. During a few seconds when they had both just swallowed, Neji leaned forward and gave Gaara a gentle kiss, saying, "Thanks for making breakfast, Gaara. Happy anniversary." _

-----

Neji woke up the next morning before the sun rose from the horizon, but that was ok, because Gaara was still in his arms, and it seemed the redhead had dozed off sometime during the night. So Neji kept as still as he could in order not to wake the other, even though he wanted to stand up and stretch. He watched as the sun rose, illuminating the clouds and everything else, and he thought about how well-rested he was right now, even if he _had _fallen asleep with his back against the rough bark of a tree.

The sun hadn't quite made it all the way out of the horizon when Gaara woke up. Neji felt the redhead jerk into wakefulness, and watched as Gaara's eyes opened. They were like emeralds, he decided. Vividly green and sharp most of the time, even when he had just woken up. But Neji dismissed the sharpness in Gaara's eyes and gave him a good-morning kiss on the cheek, whispering, "Have a good nap?"

Gaara closed his eyes again and leaned back against Neji. "It was refreshing." he admitted. "A nice change from staring up at the stars all night, no matter how interesting they might be." A pause, then, "What time is it?"

"I'd say around 6." Neji answered.

"Hmm. Then I should get up, shouldn't I?" The question was voiced lazily, and Neji knew Gaara didn't really want to leave. A burst of happiness filled his chest and a burst of pink filled his cheeks.

"Do you have something important to get to?"

"Not anything I can't miss…besides, Temari will be glad to know I got some more sleep, so…" Gaara quieted, focusing on going back to sleep, even while around him the day was awakening. Fortunately, not a lot of people seemed to know about this particular clearing, or were inclined to walk into it this early in the morning, so Neji and Gaara and Shukaku weren't interrupted as the day wore on.

Shukaku woke up sometime around 7, the raccoon also astonished that Gaara was sleeping so soundly. _He's so cute when he sleeps, don't you think? _

Neji nodded. "Too bad he doesn't sleep like this more often." But then he looked up, because someone was coming into the clearing. It was a man, brunette and wearing a full suit ensemble. As Neji looked more closely, he saw something that looked like face paint on the other's face. He looked…familiar, somehow.

_Kankurou! _Shukaku called, and Neji was momentarily amused by the sight of the man (Sabaku Kankurou, it seemed he was) whirling around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from, before walking towards them again, with a frown on his face.

"Who was that just now?" He asked in a deep voice. "The person who was speaking."

Shukaku happily ran up to Kankurou and looked up at him, proudly pronouncing, _It was me!_

Kankurou looked down at Shukaku, looked back up again at Neji, and asked, "Did you just hear the raccoon speak?"

"Yes. Actually, the raccoon is your brother's heart, Shukaku. I'm assuming you are Sabaku Kankurou?"

"Yes, I am. Who are you, and what are you doing with both my brother's heart and my brother? I believe he put his heart away for protection with a Hyuuga or something a few days earlier, or that was what he told me." Kankurou stared at Neji suspiciously.

"Actually, I am that Hyuuga, so that's why I have Shukaku, and last night, when I couldn't sleep, Shukaku suggested that I should visit Gaara, and he revealed to me that Gaara was an insomniac." Neji looked down at Gaara fondly. "He should sleep more often, I think. He looks so cute when he is."

Kankurou frowned again. "My brother doesn't let just anybody hold him like that, and he doesn't just sleep like that. You haven't…drugged him or something, have you?"

Neji looked shocked. "No! Of course not!"

"Then just who are you to Gaara?"

Neji slowly blushed, not answering the question.

"Well?" Kankurou prodded.

_He's Gaara's boyfriend! _Shukaku answered, bubbling with excitement. Neji and Kankurou both turned to look at him, equally shocked by Shukaku's easy use of the word.

"I'm…err, I'm assuming he isn't just saying that you're a friend of Gaara's that's a boy?" Kankurou voiced tentatively.

"No. I mean, I guess I am his boyfriend now...we just haven't identified ourselves with that word before."

"How long have you two been together?" Kankurou was curious as to how long Gaara had kept this from him and Temari.

"Um...I guess technically, a few hours, maybe a day or two. We just met a few days before."

Kankurou raised an eyebrow at the answer. They had known each other for only that long? Maybe this was Gaara's way to rebound from that Naruto kid, but even so, his brother didn't go into relationships this fast. But at least Gaara hadn't purposefully hid this from him and Temari. He just didn't get around to telling them yet.

"I see. And what exactly is your name?"

"Hyuuga Neji."

Kankurou blinked and wondered what had happened. Just two days ago Temari had said Gaara and Hyuuga Neji weren't on very good terms.

But he didn't get time to ask his question, because just then Gaara woke up, annoyed and glaring at the whole world in general. "Who's talking?" he grumbled, trying to get out of Neji's grasp.

"Good morning again. Are you always this grumpy when you wake up?" Neji let Gaara sit up properly.

Kankurou snorted. "You call this grumpy? See what he's like on a night without sleep. By then he's _scary._"

"What are you doing here, Kankurou?" Gaara mumbled, squinting up at his brother and the morning light.

"You made me and Temari worried when you didn't show up this morning, so I went looking for you in your usual spots and found you here. How did you forget to tell us you had a boyfriend?"

"Am I obligated to tell my siblings everything?" Gaara countered, not wanting to answer the question outright.

"Yes. Especially Temari."

"She usually manages to find out before I tell her."

"Yes, but if you have a boyfriend, we'd like to hear it from you, you know. This is something important."

Gaara rolled his eyes. "Fine. Kankurou, this is Neji, my boyfriend. Neji, this is my crazy-ass adopted brother, Kankurou."

Kankurou shook Neji's hand bemusedly before defending himself against Gaara's accusation. "Actually, I'm not crazy."

"Really? Just look at your face." Gaara drawled, fully awake.

"Hey! It's the perfect disguise! Whenever I don't want to be disturbed in public, I can just take the face paint off and no one will recognize me! You should try it, Gaara!"

"See? Crazy. And it'd never work for me, because everybody would recognize me anyways." Gaara stood up now, and walked forward a few steps so Neji stand up too without tripping. "And on that note, we should go before the park gets crowded and someone recognizes me. I do not wish to be harassed this morning." Just like that, Gaara started walking away, and Neji stifled a laugh looking at the redhead's mussed hair. He then grabbed the blanket and pillow and started walking after Gaara, Kankurou and Shukaku doing the same.

They reached the parking lot in a few minutes, managing to avoid any early morning joggers. Gaara glanced at the other car in the parking lot and stared at Kankurou in disbelief. "You took the _limo_?!?"

Kankurou shrugged, unrepentant. "Closest keys. And I wanted to get away from Temari's hysterics. You know how quickly they can induce a migraine, and I wanted to spare myself of that, thank you very much. Besides, the windows are _very _tinted. You made sure of that. No one will recognize you, Gaara. Don't worry about it."

When Neji shot him a questioning look, Kankurou explained, "Gaara's deathly afraid reporters will find out about his insomnia and come hound him during the night, so he discourages using the limo in the early morning hours 'cause it attracts too much attention."

"And you know of the rumors that someone's come up with a camera that goes through tinted mirrors!" Gaara added.

Kankurou rolled his eyes at his boss/brother. "Don't be so paranoid. I haven't seen anything like that yet. Besides, if you're so worried, you should get in, shouldn't you?"

"So are you going to drive my car while I drive the limo?"

"Only way to get them both back, isn't it?" But as Kankurou saw Neji walking out of the parking lot and not toward any car, he called, "Hey Neji-san! Where're you going?"

Neji looked back at the sound of his name. "Home!" he called back, raising his voice in order to be heard.

"You're walking?" Kankurou asked, puzzled. The Hyuuga family was rich enough to supply cars to all their members, weren't they?

"Yeah." Neji answered, trying to play it off as unimportant. "The Hyuuga Council of Elders all want me within calling distance so that I won't run off without their knowing or something. They still believe I hold a grudge against Hinata, just because I bullied her a little in school." He shrugged. "So I'm stuck with no car, and I have to get their permission to travel out of the country."

"But do you still know how to drive?" Kankurou questioned.

"Of course. My uncle didn't agree with the Council of Elders and made sure that I knew how to drive and got a license at the proper age. He even got me a temporary car when I went off to college, though I usually walked out of habit. It was too hard to find a parking spot most of the time."

Kankurou thought for a moment, before pronouncing, "You can take Gaara's car back to where you live. We'll both take the limo."

"No, that isn't necessary!" Neji protested. "I can walk!"

Gaara sighed and threw Neji his set of keys, which Neji caught without any problem. "Stubborn." Gaara said with a shake of his head. "You are my boyfriend. Shukaku is my heart. Take the car." He insisted. "I would have offered it before, if I had known you had walked here." When Neji still did not move towards them and the car, Gaara looked away a little and murmured quietly, "It's the least I can do to thank you for giving me a good night's sleep. Maybe tonight...we can do this again? Perhaps I will go to sleep again if I am with you."

"Sure." Neji happily agreed. "Of course we can do this again." He walked towards Gaara's car, Shukaku following behind him, the raccoon sporting a smug little smile on his face. Shukaku had just _known _this would work out beautifully. He could feel some of the wounds caused by Naruto's and Kyuubi's rejection fading already under Neji's tender love. And he could see Gaara was a bit happier too.

Just before they drove off, Neji shouted out from Gaara's car, "When should I return this?"

Kankurou heard him and replied, "Whenever you come to visit Gaara! Today is fine, by the way! I'm sure Temari would like to meet you in person!" That said, he drove off, and Neji did too. Shukaku was sitting happily in the backseat, whooping each time Neji turned and made the raccoon slip and slide on the leather seats.

"Easily amused." Neji commented with a hint of humor.

Shukaku nodded unabashedly. _Of course! Especially when I'm happy!_

Neji glanced at Shukaku's reflection in the mirror and couldn't help but grin, infected by the raccoon's good mood. Besides, he and Gaara had gotten together without a hitch, and Neji was practically humming as he parked about a block from his business (Shikamaru was here already and every other parking space nearer to his business was occupied) and walked up the sidewalk with Shukaku in his arms. Zabuza saw him and Neji could see him sigh with relief.

"Neji! We were worried that you'd been kidnapped or something!" Haku's expression of relief was a bit more prominent, as he ran out the door and practically tackled Neji. Neji stumbled back before recovering and walking through the door, slowly loosening the grasp Haku had around his neck.

"I'm fine, Haku, I'm fine." Neji smiled easily, his happiness bubbling over. "Don't worry about me."

"But where did you go? And in the middle of the night?"

"To a nearby park."

Haku snorted with amusement. "I'm not that gullible, Neji. Tell me the truth."

"But that is the truth! And Shukaku can confirm it!" The raccoon nodded in confirmation.

_Neji went to the park last night because he couldn't sleep and saw Gaara there. _

"Sabaku Gaara?" Haku seemed to have accepted some of the truth, but was still skeptical. "As in Shukaku's person."

_Yeah. They slept together. _

Both Haku and Neji paled. "N-Not like that!" Neji said quickly. "We…um, we shared a blanket and stuff, and slept _together_, but we didn't _sleep_ together."

"Good to know." Haku commented. "Although I should've guessed that you never would've slept with such a bastard. No offense to you, Shukaku."

_None taken. But I think Neji and Gaara __**will **__sleep together in the near future…_

Haku frowned. "Really? Why?"

Neji cut off Shukaku before the raccoon could reply. "Because I'm in love with him."

Haku stared at him weirdly. "Really." He said flatly.

"Yeah. I-I mean, I think I'm in love with him." Neji blushed a little. "Don't look at me like that! I haven't gone crazy!"

Haku shook his head. "I know that, but…Sabaku Gaara? He made you cry yesterday, didn't he?"

"Um, yeah…but we've moved past that now."

"Does he love you back?" Haku questioned and watched as Neji colored. Then the brunette realized just what he had asked. "Oh, Neji! I'm sorry. I'm…don't answer, ok?" Haku couldn't believe that he had just reminded Neji about Loveless, right when Neji had told him he was in love. "I'm happy for you, Neji. It's great that you're in love." Haku smiled. "I'm sure Sabaku-san will make you really happy."

Neji tried to smile back but didn't quite make it. "Yeah. Do I have any appointments coming up, Haku?"

"There's someone coming in at 10, wanting to talk about setting up an account for their heart, and someone else wanting to withdrawal their heart this afternoon at 3. If you'll wait a bit I'll give you the names." Neji nodded and waited for Haku to get the names from his computer. When Haku had found and given the names to Neji, Neji walked into his office and sat down in his chair wearily. Just now the position he had slept in last night caught up to him, and Neji's back ached.

_Hey Neji? _

"Yeah Shukaku?"

_I was going to tell you before, but stuff got in the way. _

"Yeah?"

_I think you should change your pants. There are a couple of grass stains on them. _

"Oh." Neji had thought whatever Shukaku wanted to tell him would be more serious than that, but now he smiled. It was good to get a reminder of everyday life. "Thanks for telling me. I'll go upstairs to change. You wanna stay here?"

Shukaku shrugged. _Sure. I'll have some fun sliding around in your swivel chair. _

So Neji got up and Shukaku hopped onto his swivel chair. Neji swung it around once and as it started to turn Shukaku squealed in glee.

Neji went up the elevator and into his room, changing his clothes quickly and dropping the dirty ones into his washing machine. He was about to go back downstairs, before he looked in the mirror and he froze. He stopped before the mirror and touched his forehead, where the cursed seal would've been had it been activated. Neji thought of putting some bandages or a headband or something over his forehead, because he wouldn't be able look at his forehead now without thinking of the seal.

Neji sighed while going back downstairs, wondering just when his good mood had evaporated.

-----

"Hey Neji?" Both Neji and Shukaku looked up as Haku stuck his head into the office. "I'm taking my lunch break, k?"

Neji nodded. "Remember to lock the door behind you." He called after Haku as he was walking out.

"Uh huh," Haku said, and waved a little in goodbye. Silence descended on the room after Haku walked out, except for the scratching of Neji's pen as he completed more paperwork.

_Neji?_ Shukaku asked after a little while. He was hungry…though not exactly stomach-hungry. More like…soul-hungry.

"Yeah Shukaku?" Neji didn't look up from his work.

_Do you ever take a lunch break? _

"Hmm, not really…I just eat a big breakfast and maybe have a snack in the afternoon. I skip lunch most of the time. Don't have anybody to eat it with anyways." Neji murmured, still without looking up.

_But now you do! Gaara, remember? You can eat lunch with Gaara!_ Shukaku insisted.

Neji had looked up at the mention of that name, and Shukaku was satisfied that he had captured Neji's attention. "But won't I be interrupting his workday?" The brunette asked with worry.

_It's probably his lunch too, you realize. _

"Hmm…I could call his office before I go. Just to make sure he doesn't have any appointments. Then I can return his car too, so it doesn't look like I'm just desperate to see him…"

Shukaku blinked once, then smirked. _But you __**are**__ desperate to see him, aren't you?_

Neji crossed his arms and refused to answer.

_Aww. You're being so cute, Neji! _

Neji sighed at the comment. "I'm 24, about to turn 25. I'm not _supposed _to be labeled as cute. Or to be this desperate, for that matter."

_Of course you are! It's a part of love, isn't it? And cute isn't necessarily a bad thing! _

Neji smiled at that. "I suppose not. Cute can't be a bad thing, considering just how cute _you _are." He scratched Shukaku right behind his ears, the little raccoon uttering a purr of appreciation. But Shukaku was not about to be deterred from his point.

_Anyways,_ he continued, struggling to get out from under Neji's tickling fingers, _you should call Gaara's office now, shouldn't you? To see if we can go visit him. _

Neji smiled, stopped scratching Shukaku, and picked up the phone. Cradling the phone with his shoulder, he looked through the files on his desk for Gaara's file and looked through it for his office phone number. He dialed it with one hand while holding the folder with the other, and waited while it rang.

_Put it on speakerphone! _Shukaku urged._ So I can hear too!_

Neji pressed a button, put down the receiver, and they both heard Gaara's sister/secretary pick up and say, "Sabaku Gaara's office, how may I help you?"

"Hello, Sabaku-san, it's Hyuuga Neji. I was wondering if your brother is on his lunch break right now?"

"Gaara, you mean? Not Kankurou."

"Ah, yes, Gaara."

"Why do you want to know?" Temari already knew, of course. Kankurou had gleefully come into the office and announced the fact Gaara now had Hyuuga Neji as a boyfriend, which had made Temari scream in shock. And now Temari's mind was spinning with possibilities, and she was rushing to get Gaara's schedule in front of her.

"Ah…I would like to go to lunch with him? Of course, if has an appointment already, I'll just try to come another day."

"No, no!" Temari protested, finally having Gaara's list of appointments up on the computer in front of her. Hmm, his whole afternoon was filled up, but Temari knew Gaara's two-o'clock had canceled, and if she could move his one-o'clock back to two, Gaara could have a whole hour to eat lunch with his new boyfriend. Though…Gaara's one-o'clock was Sannin Tsunade, a very important person in Konoha, and Temari didn't think she would appreciate being pushed back just for Gaara to spend time with his boyfriend.

Heck, Gaara probably wouldn't appreciate having Tsunade being pushed back just so he could spend time with Neji. Gaara was always a stickler for work. But Temari decided she didn't care. This was Gaara's first real boyfriend, and he wasgoing to spend _real _time with Neji if Temari could help it. Sannin Tsunade would understand, wouldn't she? Temari was pretty sure she knew Neji somehow, and that she would understand.

"You can come right over." Temari said cheerfully. "Gaara has an appointment right now, but he'll be finished in a few minutes, and you two can eat lunch together then. You'll have an hour with him, is that enough?"

"Yes!" Temari smiled at the evident happiness in Neji's voice. "It's more than enough! I'll drive over now."

And then he hung up, and Temari hung up too, now much more cheerful than before the phone call. Neji really did seem like a very nice person, which would be a good thing for Gaara.

Temari started humming a cheery little tune she couldn't identify, filled with glad hopes for the future.

-----

Gaara waited until his appointment was over and gone before giving a small yawn and letting his eyes flutter shut. This was a side effect of actually getting sleep – he was sleepier during the day than he'd be if he'd stayed awake the whole night. He would stave it off, of course. Coffee wouldn't help anymore (hadn't helped for years), but pinching himself _did _help, to some extent. Gaara sighed, unbuttoning and reaching inside his suit to a place on his upper arm that was already dark with bruising and had constantly stayed that way for years (ever since coffee and other forms of caffeine had stopped working, actually). Gaara knew he wouldn't ever build up a tolerance for pain, and was glad of it – this way he would always have a way to stay awake. He pinched the dark bruise mercilessly, tensing up at the pain and then relaxing with a long sigh as the pain faded away and turned into alertness.

Oh, what he'd give to have a semblance of a normal life, with all the normal accoutrements such as sleep and…happiness. Gaara rubbed his eyes, feeling tired all over again. He had known for some time that he wasn't normal, at least in the socially accepted sense, but it hadn't made him feel this depressed for a long time. Mostly because…of Naruto, probably. Naruto had stayed up with him on a lot of his nights: talking with him, watching movies with him, taking long walks in the park with him and reassuring Gaara that he wasn't that much of a freak with every moment they spent together.

After all, someone like Naruto just couldn't possibly be a freak of nature, what with his happy smiles and bright blue eyes, and therefore Gaara couldn't be a freak of nature either, since Naruto seemed to like his company, right? Right. Even with the permanent dark insomnia rings around his eyes and the tattoo on his forehead, Gaara felt like he had…a semblance of normalcy and humanity whenever Naruto was around.

And, interestingly enough, he had felt that way last night too, when he had been with Hyuuga Neji. Oh sure, Gaara knew that he had set Neji up to be just a replacement for Naruto, but it had been strangely…comfortable with the Hyuuga last night. Maybe it had just been the liberating feeling of being freed from heartbreak with Shukaku in the Hyuuga's protection, or maybe it was the fact that he knew Neji was definitely in love with him (and therefore would not hurt him), but Gaara felt…different, surer in this relationship. But then, that was only because of the love potion, wasn't it? Gaara sighed again. Nothing in his life ever happened the normal way. Probably nobody would've fallen in love with him without being forced to.

He buttoned up his shirt again and right on time too, because just then the door to his office opened and, to Gaara's surprise, Neji walked in. Wasn't Tsunade supposed to be meeting with him right now?

"Neji?"

To Gaara's surprise and not a little amusement, Neji's face turned red simply from Gaara's use of his first name. This was why he felt so secure in this relationship. There was simply no way Neji was going to hurt him.

"Hi. Um, your sister told me you were taking your lunch break now, so I thought we could go to lunch together."

Gaara frowned. "Lunch break? I don't take lunch breaks. In fact, I have an appointment scheduled with someone right now, so I don't know what my sister's talking about."

Temari stuck her head in at this point, having heard Gaara from outside (she'd been listening for it, after all). "Oh hey, your two-o'clock canceled, Gaara, and Tsunade-san called to say that it'd be better for her to come later, so I moved her back to two. So now you have an hour to eat lunch. After all, we don't want you to starve, right?" She chuckled nervously, hoping that her little brother would just accept her not-so-well-hidden meddling and go eat lunch with his boyfriend.

Gaara looked unconvinced about Temari's rather weak explanation, but to her relief didn't question her. "Hmm. I see. Then I suppose we'll go out to eat lunch somewhere? I do have an hour to spare."

Neji, who had looked dejected only a few moments go, now brightened up again, and Gaara noticed that he had perfect teeth (braces earlier in life, perhaps?). "Where do you want to go?"

Gaara blinked. "I don't know. Where do you want to go?"

Temari took in the awkward atmosphere with a glance and realized that although Gaara had a boyfriend that cared for him, they still didn't know each other very well, which meant that spending time together was even more important for them. "There's an ice-cream shop about a block away." she offered. "Gaara really likes it, and there's a sandwich shop nearby, so you could buy sandwiches and ice-cream and eat that somewhere."

"I do _not _like ice-cream!" Gaara protested. It was a guilty little secret he had, along with his love of bubble baths.

_Yes you do. _Shukaku, who had been staying quiet in one of Neji's shirt pockets, now stuck his head out to have his say. _You love ice-cream. _

Temari nodded in agreement, and Gaara started to fume when he saw Neji was laughing a little at him.

"Fine, so I do like ice-cream. What's wrong with that?"

Neji laughed a little more. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with liking a little ice cream. So, you wanna go?"

"Sure. Just let me call Kankurou to drive us there."

Neji frowned at this. "Temari-san, are the shops really that far, or can we walk there?"

"Oh, it's only a few blocks away, so I'm sure you can walk there."

Neji looked at Gaara again, a hopeful expression on his face. "Then can we walk there instead? I'd like it if it were just the two of us."

Gaara looked at that hopeful face and found he wanted to agree to Neji's suggestion. He stifled the feeling, because he hadn't clawed his way up in the world by assenting to any and everybody's little whim. Although…Neji _was _his boyfriend, and this seemed to be turning out to be a date, and besides, if Kankurou came along he'd just report everything back to Temari and then they'd both tease him. Maybe it _would_ be better to alone with Neji.

Gaara nodded. "Then let's go."

But just then, Shukaku leapt out of Neji's pocket and onto the floor. _Have fun. _he cooed, walking over to Temari.

"You're not coming?" Neji asked, confused.

_Nah. You two wanted to be alone, didn't you? _

"But you're _part_ of Gaara!"

_As true as that is, I'll just stay here with Temari. _Shukaku smiled as much as a raccoon could smile. _Don't argue. Just go eat lunch. _

Hesitantly, the pair of them went, striding out of Gaara's penthouse office. Shukaku watched them go with an amused chortle. _Even though I'm Gaara's heart, I know I'd still be considered as a chaperone if I went with them. They should spend some time truly alone with each other. _

Temari agreed with a nondescript murmur. "How perceptive you are." she praised, hoping that her brother and his new boyfriend would have fun.

-----

The walk to get lunch was awkward, to say the least. Apparently neither of them wanted to start a conversation, didn't even know what to start a conversation about. They didn't really know anything about each other at all, Neji realized. Well, he knew that Gaara had been in love with Naruto for a long time, and that his heart was broken, but those weren't really topics for casual conversation. But maybe they could talk about ice cream…as childish as that sounded.

"What's your favorite ice cream flavor?" Neji asked, glancing over at Gaara from the corner of his eye.

Gaara looked startled to be addressed, but answered nevertheless. "Um…Double Chocolate Chip-"

"-Rocky Road?" Neji finished.

Gaara nodded, confused. "How did you know?"

Neji looked down at the sidewalk. "That's…Naruto's favorite ice-cream."

"Oh. Yeah…"

Well, that was even more awkward. Neji wondered how much of Gaara's life had revolved – still revolved – around Naruto. Gaara probably didn't have many friends, and most likely a lot of his good memories involved Naruto. Well. Neji would just have to make sure that Gaara had new good memories, ones that didn't involve Naruto. And he would start now.

"My favorite ice-cream's vanilla." Neji stated. "Well, sort of. My very favorite ice-cream is Cardamom, which is basically the spice cardamom added to vanilla, but it's not very common in ice-cream parlors, so my default favorite is vanilla."

Gaara had thought the conversation would stop right after he'd mentioned Naruto, which had been a faux pas on his part if anything was. If he'd thought before he opened his mouth, he'd probably have realized that it was a mistake to mention the person who he'd liked for the past ten years to his new boyfriend. He often made these social mistakes without thinking, and usually, the conversation ended right after. Not this time though, it seemed…

"Is vanilla good?"

Neji stared at him, and Gaara realized he might've made another social mistake.

"You've never had vanilla ice-cream?" Neji asked incredulously.

"No…" Naruto had been the first one to introduce Gaara to ice cream, and Gaara had never tried any other flavors throughout the years besides Naruto's favorite flavor.

"So you've eaten nothing but Double Chocolate-Chip Rocky Road?"

Gaara nodded anxiously. What would Neji say now?

Neji sighed and shook his head. "You poor deprived child."

Gaara winced, taking it as an insult. Then he drew in a gasp of surprise, as Neji took his cold hand in his much warmer one.

"You see," Neji started explaining, still holding Gaara's hand, "Double Chocolate-Chip Rocky Road is good for holidays and celebrations and such, but it gets too rich if you eat it all the time. Now, even though vanilla's such a common flavor, the taste of it sticks with you. You grow to like it more and more with time, and even though you might switch to more elaborate flavors once in a while, you'll always come back to vanilla. That's why it's so popular."

Gaara blinked. "I see."

Neji laughed. "No you don't. You won't until you actually taste it."

They'd reached the shops by now, so they each bought their own lunch and sat down around one of the small tables outside the ice-cream shop. Neji stared at Gaara as he took his first lick of his vanilla ice cream cone, and asked, "So, how is it?"

"Good." Gaara responded. "…Simple."

Neji laughed as he took a bite of his own ice-cream cone. "Well, good. I'm glad you like it."

Gaara stared at the little bit of Double Chocolate-Chip Rocky Road on the corner of Neji's mouth. "Why aren't _you _eating vanilla?" he asked a bit accusingly. "It's _your _favorite, isn't it?"

Neji smiled. "It is. But I told you: Double Chocolate-Chip Rocky Road is fine for celebrations."

Gaara frowned. "What are you celebrating?"

"I'm celebrating the fact that my new boyfriend is the most adorable and perfect person in the world."

Gaara blushed.

-----

Please review?


End file.
